A Father's Duty
by WillowBlueJay17
Summary: Parents' most important job is to look out for their kids. But when one father's son is snatched before his eyes, he'll have to travel across the country, with the aid of a forgetful woman, to bring him home. Meanwhile, his son will have to find his a way out of his prison with the help of some interesting friends. Humanization of Finding Nemo. Some Marlin/Dory. CHAPTER 11 IS UP!
1. I Promise Nemo

Hello for the first time in several months! I apologize, readers, for my incredibly long absence from writing. Sigh…It's a failure on my part.

You see, I was having trouble writing anything for my story "Our Lives At Hogwarts" or starting any of the Harry Potter fics I had in mind. Then, I realized…I was in a rut. As much as I love Harry Potter, I wasn't able to write anything new because I was getting tired of writing solely from Harry Potter.

And so, I decided to get started on a couple non-Harry Potter stories, thanks to inspiration from some drawings I found. I diving into the Disney world, folks! One story is this one, a humanization of the Finding Nemo story, featuring some changes here and there. Another is a gender bent version of Disney's Tarzan. I want to do this because I love thinking up AU scenarios. And I'm starting with our fishy tale!

Now, because of the humanization of the story, not everything from the movie can be properly transferred over into the human world. But I feel that this will make it a bit more interesting. Also, this story will feature some Human!Marlin/Human!Dory. Also, by taking place in the human world, the situations are going to be a little darker and I'll have a couple of curses here and there.

Now, as characters from the movie appear, I'll direct you to the images I found on deviantArt that are basically what you should picture, with a couple changes here and there. First and foremost, please check out the artist marsbarrl for her images of a human Marlin. She is a fantastic artist and her version of Marlin is, by far, my most favorite! And it is her drawings that made me pair Marlin and Dory up, at least as far as their human versions go. Also, I would like to direct you to another author on this site, Ronnie343. Her story, "His Little Boy", is a humanization of Finding Nemo and it is amazing, though currently incomplete. I wanted to thank her for providing some inspiration for this story and I also want to say that some parts of this story may be similar to hers. I'm trying to make mine unique, but there are a couple of points that may be similar. Also, I may end up borrowing a couple of her ideas. But seriously, check out her story! It's really well done so far!

Alright, without further to do, let's get into the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Finding Nemo at all. I'm just some random kid with an overactive imagination.

* * *

It was June of the year 2002…

The high school was filled with excited students, all eagerly awaiting the bell that signaled the end of the day. The bell that would signal the start of summer vacation.

The bell that would signal the end of high school for the seniors.

In one classroom, a yearbook was open to the superlatives page on one of the desks. A small group was clustered around this book. They were pointing to one picture in particular.

It was a boy with messy red hair and warm brown eyes. He was standing atop a wall, silly markings drawn on his face and looking like he was king of the world.

"See, what did I tell you, Marlin?" one boy exclaimed, "I knew you'd win class clown!"

The boy from the picture, eighteen year old Marlin Fischer, looked at his image in the book and let out a laugh.

"A dream come true!" he said playfully, "Just another step forward on the path to becoming a comedian."

"I thought you applied to a pharmacy program for college though," a girl piped up.

"It's something my mom wants," Marlin explained, "Dad was a pharmacist, so I guess it's in memory of him…I'll go through with it, since it's kind of interesting, but I'm still aiming for the stage!"

As the group of students slowly dispersed, Marlin found his eyes drawn to one picture on the same page as his. He smiled gently as he read the caption.

_Prettiest Eyes: Coral Wood._

"Got that right…" Marlin whispered as he stared at Coral's picture, noticing how the camera seemed to capture the sparkle in those gorgeous brown eyes and the shine of her chestnut brown hair perfectly.

Coral Wood had been Marlin's crush since high school began, but he had conversations with her a mere handful of times. Most of Marlin's interactions with the girl were whenever she happened to be nearby during one of his impromptu comedy performances.

It wasn't just her looks that captivated Marlin, despite what others believed. Coral was so kind to others, rarely saying a bad word to another, unless truly provoked. She always seemed to laugh whenever she heard one of his jokes, always had a bright smile to send his way.

Coral Wood was the girl of his dreams…And, after today, she would remain a dream if Marlin didn't do something.

* * *

"Okay, Fischer, you can do this! Deep breaths and go…C'mon, man, don't wimp out now."

Marlin muttered these reassurances under his breath as he tried to force his body to go outside, where Coral was talking with a couple of her friends.

"Damn…" Marlin mumbled, "I can make a fool out of myself in front of the whole school, but I can't say hi to one girl."

The redhead took one more deep breath before bursting out of the school and racing over to the brunette he had admired for so long.

"Coral!" he exclaimed as he came to sudden stop in front of the group of girls.

Coral startled at Marlin's sudden appearance, but that wonderful smile of hers came back to her face once she recognized him, sending Marlin's heart skipping.

"Hey there, Marlin," Coral greeted, "How are you?"

"Fine!" Marlin practically shouted out of nervousness, "Dandy! Fit as a fiddle! Tip top shape!"

Coral and the girls giggled at the boy, causing him to blush a bit.

"Say, Coral," Marlin started, "Um, you think we can talk? Alone?"

Coral's friends oohed and laughed at this, causing Coral to give them a laugh. She hugged them and said her farewells before walking off with Marlin to a nearby tree.

"So, what's up, Marlin?" she asked.

"Um, well…" Marlin said, the speech he had planned to say vanishing from his thoughts at that moment, "Y-you see, I…"

"Marlin Fischer, I've never seen you at a loss for words!" Coral said amusedly, "Is this a sign of the apocalypse?"

"If it is, the apocalypse has the worst timing in the world," Marlin replied, sending a mocking glare up at the sky.

Coral chuckled as she leaned against the tree, waiting for Marlin to say what he wanted to. Words evading him at the moment, Marlin did what he always did best.

He improvised.

"I don't think you signed my yearbook," he stated as he pulled the book out of his backpack, "I've got nearly everyone's John Hancock in here. Even Suzy Wright's, and you know she's hated me since the Cherry Soda Fiasco of 2000."

"…Oh…" Coral said somewhat disappointedly. She fished a pen out of her purse, "Well, hand it over then."

Marlin watched as Coral turned to a blank page and began writing her message. He rocked himself back and forth on his heels as his mind worked overtime figuring out his next move.

"And done!" Coral said, handing over the yearbook, "Well, if that was all, see you."

As Coral began to walk away, Marlin panicked. Now what was he going to do? He hadn't thought of anything! Why on earth was making jokes easier than talking normally with the girl he liked?

"Hang on!" Marlin yelled as he ran in front of Coral, "There's something else!"

"What's that?" Coral asked, a hand on her hip.

"…There's something on you lip."

Coral blinked in surprise before rubbing her hand against her mouth.

"Is it gone?"

"No, not yet," Marlin said, taking a step closer as Coral rubbed her mouth again.

"How about now?" she wondered, not realizing how close Marlin was.

"Here…Let me get it…"

Before Coral could say another word, Marlin pressed his lips against her. It was only for two, maybe three seconds, but it was long enough for Marlin to feel a jolt.

Marlin lifted his head and carefully observed Coral's reaction. Those lovely eyes of hers were wide in shock. She put a hand against her mouth and took a step back, her eyes never once leaving Marlin's.

"Damn…" Marlin hissed, "Sorry about that, Coral, I wasn't thinking-I mean, I didn't-That is…Oh, forget it!"

Marlin turned around and walked off briskly, muttering insults against himself all the while.

"Wait!"

Marlin looked over his shoulder as Coral ran up to him. She held her hand out.

"Give me your yearbook again," she said.

Marlin raised an eyebrow in confusion but did as she asked. He watched as the brunette hastily scribbled something at the end of her previous message before handing over the book.

Marlin turned bright red when Coral grinned and winked at him before she ran off. Once she was out of sight, Marlin looked at what she had written for him.

_Marlin. If anyone's going to fulfill their dream, it'll be you. I know you'll be one of the best comedians in the world. I won't be surprised if you rank up there with people like George Carlin one day. You are one of the funniest and sweetest guys I've ever known. Any girl would be lucky to be with you. Love, Coral._

Marlin let out a soft, unbelieving laugh as he looked at the postscript Coral had just added.

A phone number…_Coral's_ phone number…With the words "Call me!" and a heart next to it!

"YEAH!"

* * *

Four years later, one cool autumn evening in the year 2006…

"And…done!"

A now twenty-two year old Marlin wiped the sweat off his forehead as he gazed about the now finished room of his new house…A nursery, to be exact.

"It looks great, honey," a pregnant Coral Fischer said as she look at the adorable lavender and white color scheme of the room and the toys and cribs.

Marlin smiled at his wife and pressed a gentle kiss against her temple as the two walked into the living room of their home.

Marlin never expected to be so happy in his life. He married the girl he had adored since high school. She was pregnant with his children. They were able to get a lovely home in a great neighborhood in Bellerose, Queens for a price that fit the budget of a pharmacy school student and a teaching student.

And Marlin had managed to be booked for his first big gig as a comedian.

"Wow…" Marlin said when he parted the curtains and looked at the neighborhood.

"Mmm…" was Coral's response as she leaned her head against Marlin's shoulder.

"Wow…"

"Yup."

"Wow!"

"Yes, Marlin, I see it!" Coral chuckled, "It's beautiful."

"I know you wanted someplace close to the city but with a suburban feel," Marlin stated as he grinned at Coral, "Did your man deliver, or did he deliver?"

"My man delivered," Coral agreed, a hand on her protruding belly, "The neighborhood is awesome."

Marlin and Coral turned their gazes out the window to observe the neighborhood they now called home. The homes were of different sizes and shapes, some with plain colors and some with wild paint jobs. In one yard, a man was mowing his lawn, which was a rich green. In another yard, a group of kids were playing hide and seek.

It truly was an amazing neighborhood…Marlin looked at Coral's face, only to see an unsure expression instead of a content one.

"You _do_ like it, don't you?" Marlin asked, feeling a bit troubled by his wife's look.

"Oh no, Marlin, I do!" Coral replied reassuringly, "I really like it, but…"

"But…?" Marlin echoed as Coral walked away from the window.

"Marlin, I know this area has fantastic schools and is so peaceful, but do we _really_ need all this space?"

"Coral, honey," Marlin laughed, "These are our kids! They deserve the best! I mean, one day they'll wake up and poke their little heads out their window and see a train zooming past in the distance."

Coral smirked at Marlin's excitement. She let out a little gasp and looked down at her stomach.

"Feels like the kids are just as eager as you, Marlin," she said as she took Marlin's hand and placed it on her stomach so that he could feel the kids squirming around, "You know, we still haven't picked names."

"Good point. How about Marlin Jr. and Coral Jr.?" Marlin responded jokingly.

"What about the third one?" Coral asked in a similar tone.

"Never enough Marlins in the world."

Coral smacked her husband's arm playfully before a thoughtful look came across her face.

"…I like Nemo," she said.

"Nemo?" Marlin repeated, "Huh…Well, I guess we can name _one_ Nemo, but I still prefer Marlin Jr."

"Just think!" Coral said giddily, "In a few weeks, we're going to be parents!"

"Yeah…" Marlin agreed with a smile before adding more seriously, "What if they don't like me?"

"Marlin," Coral started, exasperated over how many times they had this conversation, "They're triplets. One of them is bound to like you."

As Coral brushed a few locks of her hair away from her eyes, she noticed Marlin staring at her with a tender expression.

"What?" she asked, her cheeks warm at the gaze.

"Remember how we met?"

"Marlin…" she said with a grin.

"'You forgot to sign my yearbook'," Marlin said as he circled his arms around Coral and pressed their foreheads together.

Coral giggled as Marlin lowered his head to kiss her, only for the couple to be interrupted by a clock chiming that it was six.

"Better get going," Coral said, "Don't want to be late for your first big performance!"

Coral was confused when she saw that Marlin didn't look as excited as he had been a few hours earlier. Something was wrong and she wanted to know what.

"Maybe my mom was right," Marlin admitted after Coral asked, remembering his recently deceased mother, "I mean, I'm doing well in pharmacy school and I only have a couple more years until I graduate. Maybe I should let go of this comedian business and just focus on that?"

"Marlin Fischer," Coral said sternly, a hand on her hip, "For as long as I've known you, all you've talked about was becoming a comedian. You're studying pharmacy because of the pay, but your heart's in making people laugh."

"But comedy's not the most stable profession," Marlin countered, "And with three kids on the way-"

"Marlin, we'll discuss this later," Coral interrupted in a tone that left no room for argument, "Now go, before you're late."

"Yeah, that'll be some first impression," Marlin scoffed, "…You sure you don't want to come with me?"

"I would, honey, but I've been feeling a bit under the weather all day. I think it's best for me to stay home and rest."

"I could call someone over to watch you-"

"Hey, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

"Alright," Marlin said, kissing his wife, "I'll see you in a couple hours."

And with that, Marlin head out the door for his true debut as a comedian.

* * *

Coral looked up at the clock in the bedroom. Marlin's gig would have ended by now, meaning he was on his way.

She groaned as she tried to make herself more comfortable on the bed. She was starting to feel worse, and she didn't know why. All she knew was that there was a pain in her stomach. It had been dull at first but it was growing steadily stronger as time passed.

"I should call the doctor," Coral moaned as another sudden wave of pain hit her.

The second Coral picked up the phone from the receiver, the wave of pain morphed into an explosion. She screamed at the top of her lungs in agony, clutching her stomach with her free arm.

Shakily, Coral dialed 911 and put the phone to her ear as she let out under earsplitting scream.

"911, what is your emergency?" a dispatcher asked.

"Am…am…" Coral tried to speak but her pain was making it difficult to concentrate.

"Ma'am?"

"_Ambulance_…"

* * *

Marlin drove home in the highest of spirits, his comedy gig having gone better than expected. He couldn't keep the grin off his face as he remembered how hard everyone was laughing, even after the performance was over.

He had wanted to tell Coral all about it, but when he phoned home after the performance, no one picked up. Marlin figured Coral must've gone to sleep early.

As he turned the car into his neighborhood, his cellphone started ringing. Marlin glanced at it and saw an unfamiliar number.

Part of him wanted to just let it go to voicemail. The other part made him pull to the side of the road and answer the phone.

"Hello?"

"Is this Marlin Fischer?" an unfamiliar, solemn voice asked.

"Yes…" Marlin replied cautiously.

"Husband of Coral Fischer?"

"Yes," Marlin said a little quickly, a feeling of dread building up inside him, "What's wrong?"

An uneasy silence…And then an answer…

* * *

Marlin sat silently in his chair, his gaze fixed at the ground and his breath coming out shakily. He had been waiting for a few hours for some news, for Coral to come out of the hospital's emergency room.

His head snapped up at the sound of a door opening and closing. The doctor was approaching him, quietly removing his mask, his face betraying no emotion.

"Well?" Marlin said as he got to his feet, his voice not hiding his desperation.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Fischer," the doctor said, "We did everything we could, but we couldn't save your wife. Neither could we save two of your children."

Marlin's thoughts ceased and his legs collapsed on him. He fell to the ground, barely aware of the tears spilling down his cheeks.

His love was gone. His children were gone. The home that was supposed to be theirs…Coral's voice, her laughter, her eyes…He would never see them again…

…But…

"You said two…" Marlin said in a choked voice, "We were expecting triplets…"

"I was just about to tell you," the doctor said, helping Marlin to his feet, "Come along."

The doctor brought Marlin to the nursery, which was filled with the wails of several newborns. Marlin closed his eyes, flinching at the cries.

"We almost lost him, but this little guy proved tougher than we thought."

Marlin opened his eyes and looked down at the small blue bundle in a nurse's arms. He stepped closer to this bundle, daring not to believe.

It was a small boy, his eyes firmly shut and his cheeks a bright pink. He was wailing like there was no tomorrow as the nurse carefully handed him over to Marlin.

Marlin couldn't help but let out a couple of sobs himself. He only just registered the doctor stating that the little baby's right hand wasn't fully developed, that he would face some difficulty in later life.

"Ssh…" Marlin said soothingly as he gently rocked his crying son, the tears on his own face stopping, "There, there. It's okay, Daddy's here…Daddy's got you…I promise, I will never let anything happen to you."

As if the baby heard his father's words, the wails turned to whimpers, soon fading as he went to sleep.

"I promise…Nemo."

* * *

Damn…Now I'm depressed. I had the movie version of this scene playing at the same time as I was writing it so that I could get dialogue and the mood right. Hopefully I was able to do this scene well enough.

Yes, I did something interesting in that I actually started by showing the scene where Marlin and Coral's relationship started. I feel as though it makes the chapter a little more tragic this way.

And yes, I made Marlin into the class clown type when he was younger. I don't know, I guess that's how he would be like if he was human, at least before all this happened to him.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please stay tuned for more! Read and review please!


	2. First Day Of School

Hi again everybody! This is a pretty quick update, huh? Now, I don't want people getting used to daily updates. I'm getting pretty busy, so I may only be able to update every two or three days. But this is just me guessing.

I'd like to say thank you to Tzadikim for reviewing the first chapter! Also, a warning. As soon as I get enough free time, I'm sending an avalanche of reviews for "Warmth of the Sun" your way!

Anyways, I want to once again ask people who would like to imagine Marlin and Nemo to go and check out marsbarrl on deviantArt. Her version of Marlin is, as I've said before, my favorite. Her version of Nemo is also super adorable, although my human Nemo has a different disability than hers. Also, another shout out to Ronnie343's story "His Little Boy" for providing inspiration for this tale and also for giving me a couple ideas that I will use here and there.

By the way, check out the note at the bottom of this page for some brief profile information on my versions of human Marlin and human Nemo.

Alright, time to dive into the chapter ("Dive", get it? Huh? …I'll shut up now…)

Disclaimer: I have never once worked for the Disney Corporation and I do not own the fabulous world of Finding Nemo.

* * *

It was early September of the year 2012…

The sun was shining brightly and the air was comfortably warm. Cars drove down the street and there were people on the sidewalk, going about their usual morning routine.

At eight o' clock, the loud buzz of an alarm clock resting on a bedside table went off. A figure who was lying on the bed, covered by a large comforter, poked his arm out of his cocoon and managed to hit the snooze button. Soft snores sounded through the room once more…

"First day of school! First day of school!"

A small boy, only six years old, raced into the room, not caring to make sure the door didn't slam open. He had a head of messy red hair, much like his father's, and bright brown eyes, just like his mother's.

This boy was Nemo Fischer.

"Wake up! Wake up!" Nemo exclaimed excitedly as he climbed up onto his father's bed and jumped up and down, "C'mon, Dad, wake up! Time for school!"

"I don't wanna go to school," came the sleepy complaint from under the covers, "Five more minutes…"

"Not you, Dad, me!" Nemo shouted as he launched himself off the bed and proceeded to run around the room as his father slowly pulled the covers off, "Time for school! Time for school! First day of-Whoa!"

"Nemo!" Marlin shouted worriedly, hurling himself out of bed after his son, who had tripped and rolled through the bedroom door and into the hall.

Nemo was lying on his back on the ground, but that wide grin on his face hadn't faded in the slightest and he was still chanting his mantra of "Time for school!" as Marlin helped the boy to his feet.

"Are you okay, Nemo?" Marlin asked as he knelt before the boy, checking him over frantically, "Do you feel any breaks?"

"Nope," Nemo replied nonchalantly.

"Well, sometimes you can't tell because of rushing fluids," Marlin countered, turning Nemo this way and that, "Any rushing fluids?"

"No, Dad," Nemo said somewhat exasperatedly.

"Any blood? Bruises? Double vision?"

"No-"

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Marlin interrupted.

"Dad, I'm fi-"

"Answer the question!"

"Three!"

"See, there's something wrong with you!" Marlin cried in a panic, "I have one…two, three…Oh, I guess you _are_ okay. How're the Lucky Digits?"

"Lucky!" Nemo said brightly as he wiggled the sole three fingers on his right hand.

Marlin held up his own hand so that he and his son could high five.

"Now, you sure you want to go to school this year?" Marlin asked as he rose to his feet, "It's alright if you don't. I could call Miss Wallace and have her home school you again for the next five, six years…"

"Dad, you've asked me ten times already," Nemo grumbled, "Now, _c'mon_, let's get ready!"

"Okay, okay…"

* * *

As nine o' clock fast approached, Marlin waited at the top of the stairs for Nemo to leave his room. Marlin wore a short sleeved orange and white striped polo shirt, a simple pair of jeans, and plain sneakers. He looked in a nearby mirror at his red hair and decided against the chore of trying to tame it at the moment.

"Nemo, you alright?" Marlin asked as he knocked on his son's door, "Are you having trouble with the hoodie, cause I can-"

"I'm a big boy now, Dad!" Nemo called, "I can do it myself. See?"

Nemo opened the door and stepped into the hall. He wore a dark orange hoodie with a single horizontal black stripe on it, denim shorts, and his favorite sneakers.

"I _do_ see," Marlin said with a soft smile as he ruffled Nemo's hair, "Did you remember to brush your teeth?"

"Aw, Dad…"

"Hey, do you want to make new friends?" Marlin asked, crossing his arms in front of him loosely.

"…Yes…" Nemo admitted after glancing back at the bathroom.

"Then, brush."

Nemo raced into the bathroom and stayed in there for about thirty seconds before rushing out again.

"Alright, all clean!" he said quickly as he tried to run past Marlin.

"Oh, no you don't!" Marlin said as he scooped up the boy in his arms, "You missed a spot."

"Where?" Nemo asked, trying in vain to look at his own teeth.

"There," Marlin chuckled as he tickled his son's chin. Nemo giggled as Marlin moved to his neck and under his armpits, "And here. And there! And don't forget here!"

The pair's laughter echoed through the house.

* * *

Marlin pulled back the curtains of the living room window and peered outside nervously, looking this way and that. Nemo, standing on a small chair, looked outside as well, only enthusiasm was written on his face as he bounced around a little.

"Alright, first day of school, here we go!" Marlin said with extra eagerness to disguise his concern, adding in a small fist pump to really sell it, "We're ready to learn and get some knowledge. Now, what's the first thing to remember about the world?"

"It's not safe," Nemo answered, repeating the words his father had told him for as long as he could remember.

"Good boy," Marlin nodded, "So first we've got to make sure the coast is clear."

Marlin pulled Nemo over to the side of the window.

"Alright, we peek out," Marlin explained as he pulled the curtains away slightly and looked out, Nemo copying his movements, "And we back away. And we peek out and back away. Now, over to the doors!"

Marlin opened the front door cautiously, Nemo jumping beside him from impatience.

"We look out, and go back in. And sometimes, if you want to do a couple more sets-"

"Dad!" Nemo exclaimed as he marched out ahead of his father.

"Okay, we're heading out!" Marlin said with faked energy as he rushed to his son's side.

The pair of redheads headed down the sidewalk in the direction of the local elementary school. Nemo, unable to contain his excitement at finally going to a real school, kept trying to run off ahead. However, Marlin, with years of experience and his longer legs to help, always cut him off and brought the boy back to his side.

"Hey, Dad!" Nemo called loudly, "Maybe, at school, I'll see a gangster! Have you ever seen one?"

"I highly doubt that and no, never and I don't plan to," Marlin replied as he steered Nemo away from the edge of the road, adding in an undertone to himself, "It's why I picked this place…"

"How old are sea turtles?" Nemo asked immediately after that.

"Sea turtles?" Marlin repeated as he blocked Nemo from the sight of a beagle being walked by its owner.

"This boy I know, Sandy Plimpton," Nemo began to explain, occasionally stuttering by talking too fast, "He s-said that sea turtles, th-they live to be a hundred years old!"

"Is that so?" Marlin said amusedly at his son's excitement.

"Yeah, and he says surfer dudes know all about that stuff!"

"Well, if I ever meet a surfer dude, I'll ask him about sea turtles," Marlin said in a lighthearted tone as they reached an intersection, "But only after I've talked to the gangster."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Marlin called out, his heart jumping as Nemo reached the end of the sidewalk. He strode up to him and held his hand tightly, "We wait to cross."

The crossing guard walked into the road and held up her stop sign and motioned for Marlin and Nemo to go.

"Hold my hand, hold my hand…" Marlin said over and over as they walked across the street briskly.

"Dad, you're not going to freak out like you did at the petting zoo, are you?" Nemo asked.

"Hey, that chicken was about to charge, and you know it!"

* * *

Marlin kept a tight grip on Nemo's hand as they walked through groups of children and parents on the school's lawn.

It was quite busy at the moment. Kids were being dropped off, racing out of their parents' cars and off to find friends. A couple of kids were playing keep away with a not amused boy's backpack. Nemo looked at all of this with wide eyes and readiness to become a part of it all. Marlin, in the meanwhile, was trying to figure out where to safely drop off Nemo.

"Maybe this is where we meet his teacher?" Marlin wondered aloud as he and Nemo stood in front of the steps to the doors.

"Well, look who's out and rejoining society."

Marlin and Nemo turned and saw three people standing a couple feet away from them. The one who had just spoken was a tall and lean brown haired man who had a crooked smirk. A shorter and even skinnier man with spiked blonde hair, big eyes and an even bigger smile and a somewhat fat man with thinning auburn hair and small black eyes stood on either side of the first man.

"Hey there," Marlin greeted with a small wave.

"It's Marty, right?" the brown haired one asked.

"Marlin, actually," he corrected.

"Bob," the same man replied.

"Ted," the fat one said.

"Bill," the blonde finished before adding, "Hey, so we hear you're a comedian? So, you're funny, right?"

"Former comedian," Marlin answered, rubbing the back of his head nervously, "Being a pharmacist is a more stable job so…"

"Aw, c'mon!" Bob said coaxingly.

"Yeah, redhead, tell us a joke," Ted said.

"Well, I guess I remember a good one from one of my old sets," Marlin confessed, "So, there are these two ladies, you see, named Rachel and Jennifer-Well, actually, they don't _have_ to be named that. Any name can work in this kind of scenario and it's not like the names have anything to do with the joke. Anyways, they're both married and have been friends for years…Well, I don't think that has much to do with the joke either. They don't necessarily _have_ to be friends…"

As Marlin rambled on, he was unaware of the smiles on Bob, Ted, and Bill's faces slowly fading away. Bob, bored out of his mind, happened to glance over to the side as Marlin started the joke over.

"Sheldon!" he shouted suddenly, causing the other dads and Nemo to startle and rub their ears, "Get out of Mr. Johansson's yard now!"

A group of three children, all around Nemo's age, giggled and ran from the yard just as an old man with a cane shambled out of his house, shouting after them.

"Hey, Dad, can I go play with them?" Nemo asked, taking a few steps towards the kids.

"I'd feel better if you played in the sandbox," Marlin whispered as he put his hands on Nemo's shoulders.

The pair looked at the sandbox, which was currently occupied by young mothers with kids two years old and younger. One of the two year olds fell over and started crying, causing the other mothers to coo and comfort him.

"That's where I would play," Marlin stated with a smirk when Nemo gave him a look.

When the children got near, Nemo stepped a little closer to his father, suddenly feeling a bit shy. One boy, Sheldon, looked almost exactly like a smaller version of Bob and seemed to be like the leader of the three. The other boy, who Bill introduced as Tad, had his father's spiky blonde hair and a goofy grin. The girl, introduced as Pearl, had short hair that was a lighter shade of auburn than her dad's and a sweet grin.

"What's wrong with his hand?" Pearl asked, pointing at the three fully formed fingers and two stumps on Nemo's right hand.

"He looks funny!" Tad laughed.

"Ow!" Sheldon shouted when his dad smacked the back of his head, "What'd I say?"

"Be nice," Bob said sternly, "It's his first day."

"He was born with it, kids," Marlin explained, unaware of how red Nemo's face had gotten as he tried to silently tell his dad to stop, "We call those fingers his 'Lucky Digits'!"

"Dad!" Nemo hissed embarrassedly.

"See this arm?" Pearl said as she held out the limb, "It's shorter than the other one, but you can't really tell. Especially if I twirl around!"

"I have allergies," Sheldon said, sneezing loudly at that moment and pulling out tissue from his pocket.

"I'm obnoxious!" Tad shouted, his face a few centimeters away from Nemo's.

Before Nemo could say anything in reply, a strong baritone voice sang out.

"Ohh, let's name the zones, the zones, the zones! Let's name the zones of the open sea!"

"Mr. Ray!" several children shouted, Sheldon, Tad and Pearl included, as they ran to surround a tall man with dark hair and glasses, wearing a white lab coat over casual attire.

Nemo stepped forward to join them, only to be held back by Marlin, who was regarding this teacher carefully.

As Mr. Ray sang about a bunch of zones Nemo knew he could never pronounce, the other kids followed the man towards the front of the school.

"Alright, explorers!" Mr. Ray called to the kids who were smiling up at him, "Let's head on in and get some knowledge in those brains of yours!"

As the kids got in line to head inside, Mr. Ray noticed Nemo standing next to Marlin.

"And who's this?" he asked as he stepped up to the two.

"I'm Nemo," the young boy said.

"Nemo, huh? Sounds like we have a captain joining our ranks today!"

Nemo laughed as Mr. Ray turned to address Nemo's father.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Fischer," Mr. Ray said as he shook Marlin's hand.

"Likewise," Marlin replied, "Just so you know, he has a bad hand, so if he's having any trouble, maybe a short break would help. Ten, fifteen minutes tops."

"Dad, you can go now," Nemo muttered in a low voice.

"It's not a problem, sir, all of my explorers look out for each other," Mr. Ray stated reassuringly, "Your son is in fine hands."

"Bye, Nemo!" Marlin called, waving as the kids followed Mr. Ray into the school.

"Bye, Dad!" Nemo responded with a quick wave before going through the doors.

Marlin slowly lowered his hand as the doors closed. He kept staring at those doors as the other parents started to head off.

"He'll be safe…" Marlin whispered to himself, "He will…"

* * *

And done! Second chapter out of the way. So, the kidnapping's going to be in the next chapter. A little change I'm making is that the whole trip/kidnapping thing happens a couple days after the first day of school. I'm only doing this because I want to make certain things as plausible as possible, and a field trip on the very first day of school? I've never seen that, but sign me up for that school!

Oh, here are those brief character profiles!

**Marlin Fischer: Age: **28; **Height: **5'7; **Occupation: **Pharmacist, Former comedian; **Family: **Nemo Fischer (son); **Fun Fact: **After the death of Coral and two of his kids, Marlin gave up his comedy career, despite the fact that his first performance was very well-received and the fact that he was getting many offers for more gigs, to solely focus on becoming a pharmacist. While still rather awkward and somewhat of a jokester, he's mostly out of practice with his comedy.

**Nemo Fischer: Age: **6; **Height: **3'6; **Occupation: **1st Grader; **Family: **Marlin Fischer (dad); **Fun Fact: **Up until now, Nemo was home schooled by Miss Wallace, a kind but rather strict woman. While he always did pretty well in his studies, he was also often scolded for daydreaming and trying to sneak outside to play with other kids when he was supposed to be working.

And that's all for today! Please read and review, and wait for the next part of the adventure!


	3. Hate And Loss

Hello! Well, I would like to thank the people who have reviewed since I last updated! Also, once again, I direct you towards "His Little Boy" by Ronnie343 for the inspiration and ideas it gave me and also to marsbarrl for her drawings of human Finding Nemo characters. Though I want to make it clear that not every character will look like her drawings and a couple characters may be based off of other artists' drawings.

By the way, I am fully aware that the museum in this chapter is not under any sort of renovation, at least that I'm aware of. I don't really know too much about this museum, but I'm playing around with things for the sake of the story.

Also, for all of you who say that, in real life, the police play a big role in kidnapping cases, don't worry. I'll bring that into play as we go along with the story…

So, let's go on ahead, shall we?

Disclaimer: Finding Nemo belongs solely to Disney. I'm just borrowing the characters and changing them up somewhat to create an interesting spin on the story.

* * *

It was Friday, the last day of Nemo's first week of school.

Marlin had been nothing less than an utter wreck the whole week long. Sure, he held it together whenever Nemo was around or when he was in the sight of the other parents and kids. But the second Marlin entered his house, his mind worked overtime thinking up all of the doomsday scenarios that could befall Nemo at the school.

Just six and a half hours…That was how long Nemo would be away from him each school day. That was also how long Marlin's panic attacks would last.

His coworkers at the local pharmacy had become quite sick and tired of him over the course of the week. Most of his customers were either inquiring about his mental health or trying to comfort him as he filled out their prescriptions.

Finally, after another stress filled work shift, Marlin's boss called him into her office. Marlin's fears over being fired were quenched when his boss, who was also a friend to him, forced him to take a two week long vacation.

"I'll even pay you, Marlin!" she had said when he tried to refuse, "Just get yourself together while you're gone!"

And so here he was, eating breakfast with his ever excited son, on the first day of his vacation.

"Hey, didn't you wear those same clothes on your first day of school?" Marlin inquired as he looked over his son's outfit.

"You're wearing the same thing too!" Nemo shot back.

Marlin blinked before looking down at his clothes…So he was…He hadn't even noticed.

_Maybe she was right…_Marlin thought as he finished his coffee, remembering his boss' words. _Maybe a break's what I need. And I can spend more time with Nemo too._

"Hey, Dad, it's almost time to go!" Nemo exclaimed as he jumped off his chair and ran upstairs to grab his sneakers.

"Oh, joy…" Marlin murmured sarcastically once his son was out of earshot. As he ran a hand through his hair, Marlin recalled something from a couple days ago, "Nemo! Isn't your class taking a field trip today?"

Nemo paused nervously on the stairs, his sneakers in hand.

"Yeah," he said slowly as he continued his trek down the stairs.

"A museum, right?" Marlin asked, assisting Nemo with the shoes, despite the fact that the boy wasn't really having trouble putting them on.

As Nemo nodded, Marlin recalled what had happened a couple days earlier.

* * *

"_A field trip?" he shouted, almost choking on his water, "But you've only been in school for two days!"_

_Nemo fidgeted in his seat, somewhat regretting having brought this up over dinner. But he went on when he reached into his pocket and felt the folded permission slip inside._

"_Sheldon said that Mr. Ray likes taking his students out a lot," Nemo explained as carefully as he could as he watched the worry form on his father's face, "It's not that far away, it's just a science museum. And there are a ch...chap...chaperones coming with us…"_

_While Marlin was still on edge, he relaxed a little at the word "chaperones". That meant a couple of parents who understood the idea of looking after kids._

"_What day is it?" he asked, still uncertain._

"_Friday," Nemo replied, "And I need to hand in the permission slip tomorrow, or I can't go. Please, Dad?"_

"_I don't know…" Marlin said, liking the idea of Nemo not going, being close by instead._

"_Please!" Nemo begged, getting off his seat and standing beside his dad, holding his arm tightly, "Please, please, please? I'll do extra chores, and I'll eat all my vegetables, and I won't complain about my bedtime-"_

"_Okay, alright!" Marlin chuckled, "…Fine, you can go…"_

"_Yes!" Nemo shouted as he took out the permission slip and a pen from his pocket._

_Marlin signed where the form asked him to and watched as Nemo took the paper and rushed upstairs, laughing loudly and cheering all the way._

* * *

"Do you need a lunch?" Marlin asked Nemo.

"No, Mr. Ray is buying everyone lunch at the café," he responded.

"Well, maybe you should take a snack. Or some water? You need to stay hydrated."

"Dad…"

"Oh, I have a mini first aid kit here somewhere. You should bring that along."

"Dad! I'll be fine, let's just go."

* * *

Marlin stood in the crowd of parents next to Bob, Ted, and Bill, chewing whatever fingernails he hadn't already gnawed on, tapping his foot against the ground, and trying not to run forward and snatch his son from the group of kids going on the school bus.

"Ohh, knowledge exploring is oh, so lyrical, when you think thoughts that are empirical!" Mr. Ray sang as the kids boarded the bus one by one, "Remember class, buckle up and make sure to keep your _digiti manus_ to yourselves…That means you, Jimmy!"

"Aw, man!" Jimmy yelled from somewhere in the bus.

"C'mon, Nemo, you can sit with us!" Pearl said as she boarded the bus right behind Sheldon and Tad.

"Okay!" Nemo replied with a grin as he stepped onboard.

"Bye, Nemo!" Marlin called, only able to see a bit of Nemo's red hair and his orange hoodie.

"Bye, Dad!" Nemo said quickly before disappearing into the bus.

Once the kids were safely on the bus, Mr. Ray stepped inside as well. In a couple minutes, the engine came to life and Marlin watched the bus drive off, hearing the faint sound of a group of cheering six year olds.

"Be safe…" Marlin whispered, his eyes locked on the bus as it disappeared around the corner.

"Hey, you're doing pretty well for a first-timer," Bob stated.

"Well, you can't hold onto them forever, can you?" Marlin answered in a resigned tone, though his eyes were still locked on where the bus once was.

"My oldest still goes on about the time Mr. Ray took his class to this museum," Bill said, "But they went in the spring."

"Well, the Hall of Science is pretty nice in the fall too, isn't it?" Ted added.

"They just got to grow up…" Marlin began, only to trail off when he registered what Ted had just said. He spun around to look at the men in horror, "HALL OF SCIENCE? They're going to the Hall of Science?"

"Yeah, it said so on the permission slip," Ted told him.

Marlin started to pace around frantically, his hands gripping his hair painfully tight.

"What are you, _insane_?" Marlin yelled, panic mixing with anger, "They're too young and that place is _huge_! Why don't we just stick a sign on the bus that says 'Free Little Kids for the Taking'?"

"Hey, Marty, calm down," Bob said, "Mr. Ray's done this for years. The place isn't that far away and nothing ever happ-"

"Don't tell me to be calm, Beanpole!" Marlin shouted as he ran off to his house.

"…'Beanpole'?" Bob repeated as the outraged father ran out of sight.

"You know he really isn't that funny," Bill said, "No wonder he gave up on being a comedian."

"Pity," was all Ted had to say on the matter, Bob and Bill nodding at the word.

Marlin didn't hear any of this as he sprinted to his house. He threw open the front door and grabbed his wallet and car keys before heading out again. Marlin was trying to do deep breaths like one of his coworkers had told him to do whenever he started freaking out like this.

"Damn it!" he shouted when he turned on the car, only for the dashboard to show him that the tank was near empty.

* * *

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city of Manhattan…

"The New York Hall of Science today, right?" a man asked in a foreign language as he drove a white van through the crowded streets.

"You got it," said the man's passenger in that same language as he took a long drag of his cigarette. He then added in his native English, "Where else can you easily snatch a kid than in a museum that huge?"

The first man didn't understand this question, causing the second man to roll his eyes. One of the downsides to hiring foreigners for this job. They may get things done efficiently and be hard to trace by the police, but he had to go and learn a whole other language to get anything done with them. At least he had the common sense to hire foreigners from the same country, to avoid learning multiple languages.

The second man turned in his seat to look through the small window that revealed the three other foreigners he had brought along for the job. The few other people in his employment, foreign and otherwise, were back at their base.

"Hopefully, this time our client won't be so…_rough_…with the merchandise," the driver said.

"Pray for the opposite," the second man disputed, still speaking English, "It'll mean more money for us…"

* * *

After an hour of driving, thanks to traffic, the school bus full of first graders stopped at Flushing Meadows Park, where the New York Hall of Science was located. As Mr. Ray counted everyone off, grouped them into fours, and assigned chaperones to the groups, Nemo gazed about with wide eyes and an even wider smile.

Nemo had never been so far away from home in his whole life! This was his first time being so far away from his dad. Nemo loved his dad with all of his heart, but the man needed to realize that Nemo wasn't so helpless, that he needed some space to grow on his own.

As the young redhead grinned at the sight of the tips of a couple rockets peeking out over the trees, he had no idea of knowing that his father wasn't so far away after all…

Marlin grumbled as he was stuck in traffic, just ten minutes away from the museum on a good day. He would've gotten there by now if he had filled the tank as he was coming home the previous night, like he wanted to.

"But, no!" Marlin muttered, "I was too tired!"

Marlin furrowed his brow as he glanced at a stuffed clownfish in the backseat of the car, a toy that Nemo played with whenever the two went anywhere by car.

"I'm coming, son…"

* * *

As Marlin worried more than he ever had before, or at least have ever worried in quite some time, Nemo was enjoying himself like he never had before.

It had been beyond cool to check out the Rocket Park, where they got to see gigantic space vehicles, such as the Gemini Titan II. They even got to play a round at the park's mini golf course. Afterwards, the group went inside Search for Life Beyond Earth exhibit, where they even played around with a couple simulations. The kids and adults then made their way over to the Hidden Kingdoms exhibit, where they got to observe microbes.

The chaperone looking after Nemo, Sheldon, Tad, and Pearl went for a bathroom break, leaving the four in the hands of another chaperone, who was already having quite a time keeping her own four hyperactive six year olds under control.

"Bursaria Truncatella!" Mr. Ray gasped excitedly as the group checked out the microbial zoo, "Gather around, kids!"

As the kids gathered around Mr. Ray, Nemo noticed his new friends slipping away without anyone noticing. Nemo looked at the rest of the class and the adults nervously before sneaking off after them.

"Hey, where're you going?" Nemo asked, only to be shushed by his three friends.

The four looked back at the rest of the class, breathing out sighs of relief when they saw that the others had gotten into another sing-along with Mr. Ray.

"We saw something super cool outside!" Tad said with a grin.

"Yeah, we're gonna check it out!" Sheldon added before sneezing.

"Wanna come along, Nemo?" Pearl asked.

Nemo wasn't so sure that breaking away from the group without telling anyone was a good idea. But he wanted to see what this mysterious cool thing was, so he nodded and followed his friends as they snuck away undetected.

* * *

Well…_almost_ undetected…

"Aw, how cute!" the man who had been smoking in the white van cooed sarcastically, "Those four little kiddies are going exploring on their own…"

"Shall I call the boys and tell them to get ready?" one of the men who had been in the back of the van asked his boss in his own language.

"Yeah," the first one replied in the same language, "C'mon, let get back to the van. It'll mean nothing if they get the merchandise and we're not there to pick them up."

"Want to bag all four of them?"

"Don't be an idiot. We've only been paid for one…"

The man's eyes locked on the small boy with bright orange hair.

"And, if I remember correctly, this client adores redheads…"

* * *

After who the hell knows how long, Marlin found parking and ran towards Flushing Meadows Park. He had no more time to waste…He had to get to Nemo and bring him back to the safety of their home, away from all the danger he was in at this place.

"Sorry!" Marlin said as he bumped into a man at the entrance.

The man dropped a paper he was holding, which landed by Marlin's feet. Marlin picked it up, noticing an interesting logo on the top of the paper, which was covered in funny looking symbols.

"Here you go," Marlin said apologetically as he gave the man the paper.

The man only nodded before his cellphone rang and he walked away. Marlin raised an eyebrow at this before remembering the task at hand.

"I'm coming, Nemo!" he yelled as he raced into the park.

* * *

"Hey, guys, wait up!" Nemo called as the four ran outside and went towards the side of the building.

The four paused for a moment when they saw a large amount of blue paper hiding something. They looked around carefully before they slipped under the paper to check out what was there.

"Whoa," the four of them said simultaneously.

It looked as though part of the museum was under renovation. The side of the building was completely open. There were a bunch of bars and beams sticking out from this open side and crisscrossing from the ground up.

"It looks like a jungle gym," Pearl said in awe.

"Oh, oh!" Tad began happily, "I remember Sandy Plimpton said once th-that he climbed up a _really_ tall jungle gym. It was super, _super_ tall!"

Sheldon looked smugly at his friends before walking up to the array of beams. The others watched with wide eyes as he slowly began to climb the structure.

"Oh, look at me!" he said playfully, "I'm gonna climb the jungle gym!"

Sheldon sneezed at that moment, causing his hand to slip off one of the bars. He scrambled back to a lower bar, causing the others to giggle at him.

"Oh, yeah? Let's see _you_ get closer," he challenged embarrassedly.

"Okay," Pearl answered as she stepped up. She then climbed several bars higher than Sheldon, smirking down at him all the while, "Beat that!"

Tad proceeded to do just that as he climbed even higher than the other two. Nemo watched all of this in shock, an uneasy feeling growing in the pit of his stomach.

"C'mon, Nemo!" Tad called out, "How high can you climb?"

"Oh, um…" Nemo started nervously, "I don't know, guys…My dad would say it's not safe and-"

"Nemo! NO!"

Nemo jumped and turned around with surprise as a familiar figure rushed up to him and put his hands on his shoulders.

"_Dad_?" Nemo said, utterly shocked to see his father, who looked out of breath and sweaty, at the museum.

"You were about to climb those beams!" Marlin scolded before turning around and shouting, "And you three! Get down from there immediately!"

"I wasn't going to-" Nemo started to explain as his friends scramble down from the structure.

"You know, it's a good thing I was here," Marlin interrupted, frowning at his son and keeping his grip on the boy's shoulders tight, "If I hadn't shown up, who knows what you would've-?"

"But, Dad, I didn't-"

"Sir, he wasn't gonna climb!" Pearl said as the friends rushed to Nemo's side to defend him.

"Yeah, he was too afraid!" Tad added.

"No, I wasn't!" Nemo told the blonde.

"This does not concern you, kids," Marlin told them strictly, "And you're all lucky I don't tell your parents what you were up to."

Marlin dropped down to his knees as he talked to his son, who was looking angrier with each passing moment.

"You have a bad hand, you know you can't climb well!" Marlin stated.

"I could climb well if I wanted to!" Nemo shot back, "And I can dress myself and tie my shoes without your help too!"

"You shouldn't be anywhere near here!" Marlin countered as he stood back up, as though he hadn't even heard what Nemo said, "You know, I was right. C'mon, you can go back to homeschooling for a couple more years."

"_No, Dad_!" Nemo shouted furiously as he broke away from his father's grip, "Just because _you're_ afraid of the world-"

"Clearly, you're not ready and you're not coming back until you are," Marlin interjected, wondering why Nemo wasn't understanding just how much danger he would've been in, "You think you can do these things, but you just _can't_, Nemo!"

Nemo glared up at his dad before turning his gaze to the ground, his cheeks a dark red from his anger. His hands balled up into tight fists and his body was trembling slightly.

"I hate you…" he murmured.

Marlin blinked in surprise and actually took a step back from his son. Alarm coursed through him when Nemo wouldn't look up at him. Those words…Had those three words actually left Nemo's mouth? Had Marlin really heard those words?

"Here you guys are!"

Mr. Ray, who had been searching for the four missing children for the past twenty minutes after leaving the other kids with their chaperones in the Hidden Kingdoms exhibit, popped his head under the blue paper and spotted the group. He paused when he saw Marlin standing there, though the man didn't acknowledge Mr. Ray's presence, instead staring at a sulking Nemo with shock.

"Kids, stand over here," Mr. Ray said, pointing where he stood. When Sheldon, Tad, and Pearl came over to him, and he saw that they looked alright, he walked up to Marlin, "Excuse me, is there anything I can do, Mr. Fischer? I am a scientist."

Marlin shook himself out of the stupor his son's words caused and turned to talk with Mr. Ray.

"I'm sorry, but I just think it's a little too soon for Nemo to be out and about while unsupervised," Marlin said, trying to block his son's words from repeating in his mind.

As Marlin and Mr. Ray spoke, Nemo looked back at the tall structure and then glared at his dad.

"Now, I'm not saying you're not looking," Marlin continued, "But-"

"Nemo!" Pearl cried out in fright while Sheldon and Tad gasped.

Mr. Ray and Marlin looked back at where Nemo was and Marlin's heart plunged into the depths of his stomach.

There was Nemo, his little Nemo, climbing the beams and bars at a steady pace, much faster than Marlin would've ever believed his son capable of climbing with a deformed hand.

"Nemo!" Marlin gasped as he ran up to the structure. He looked up near the top of the structure, where Nemo was, "What do you think you're doing?"

Nemo paid no attention to his father's alarmed shouts. He just kept on climbing, a frown planted on his face the whole way up.

"Nemo, you're gonna get stuck up there and I'm gonna have to climb up and get you!" Marlin yelled, his fingers twitching from his anxiety, "Get back here!"

Nemo kept on climbing.

"I said get back here! NOW!" Marlin shouted severely.

Nemo reached the top of the structure and began to shimmy sideways along a bar, towards the open side of the building.

"If you make one more move, mister," Marlin warned as Nemo was right next to the building. He stuck a foot out towards where the floor of the top level of the building was, "Don't you dare! If you put one foot in that building-Are you even listening to me? Don't you-"

Nemo jumped and landed on the ground of that level of the building.

"Nemo!" Marlin said, appalled at his son's lack of concern for his own safety, "That's it, you just stay right there, cause I'm going inside and getting you. And when I do, you are in big trouble , young man!"

As his father continued to shout up at him, Nemo crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, unimpressed by the whole thing. He didn't notice a man walking up behind him silently.

"You hear me, Nemo? Big…" Marlin's voice trailed off when he saw a figure approaching Nemo from behind, "…Big…"

When his friends started screaming and pointing behind him, Nemo turned around, only to be snatched up by a tall and strong man. He flailed his limbs, but the man's grip on him was like iron.

"DADDY, HELP ME!" Nemo screamed as the figure ran off in the direction he came in.

Marlin ran out from under the blue paper and towards the entrance of the building, yelling that he was coming to Nemo, not sure if his son could hear him or not. Marlin rushed up the stairs, shoving and pushing people out of the way in his panic, and kept his eyes alert. He spotted the man who had Nemo in his arms, recognizing him as the one he had bumped into earlier.

"Let him go!" Marlin shouted as he raced towards the man.

Marlin let out a shout as someone tackled him from behind, pushing him to the ground and slamming his head against the hard floor. Marlin groaned in pain as the other visitors at the museum screamed in terror, his vision becoming spotty from the impact as the person who attacked him got off and shouted something at the other man in a language Marlin couldn't understand.

Marlin willed himself back up when he heard Nemo crying and begging for him to save him. He got up and saw that there were three men, and they were all already down the stairs and at the exit to the museum.

* * *

"No, let me go!" Nemo yelled as the men carried him past several bewildered museum visitors, "Daddy!"

There were several screams sounding up ahead. A white van was driving through the park at a high rate of speed, not caring if anyone was in its path. Some people had to literally dive out of the way of the speeding vehicle.

The van fishtailed to a stop in front of the three men holding Nemo. One of them threw the back doors opened and everyone quickly jumped inside, causing Nemo to cry and scream even louder.

He looked towards the museum and saw his father burst through the front entrance and make eye contact with him.

"Nemo!" his dad yelled.

A tearful Nemo opened his mouth to answer his dad, only for the doors to slam shut and the van to take off.

"I think we can chalk this up as another successful job, sir," the driver chortled.

"We're not clear until we reach the airport, dumbass," the passenger shot back in the man's language before yelling to the back end of the van in English, "Don't worry, little fella! You should be happy we took you away from such a mean daddy."

The passenger glanced out his side mirror and saw a man with a mop of red hair several yards back, running after them. He burst out laughing at the sight.

"Speak of the devil! As if he'll catch up!"

The van sped down the streets, blowing red lights and dodging other cars. It weaved through several side streets and through some unsavory neighborhoods. The driver reached into his pocket and pulled out the paper he had dropped earlier. He opened the window and watched the wind carry it off.

"What was that?" the passenger asked the man.

"The paper you faxed us two weeks ago," the driver answered, "I've been meaning to toss it."

"What if someone traces it to us?" the passenger snapped.

"They'd have to translate the writing first," the driver explained calmly, "And if they did, who would understand what it was about? Who would even care?"

Eventually the vehicle slowed down and continued at the same pace as the other cars, making it blend into traffic just fine.

* * *

"Nemo, no!" Marlin shouted as he ran on towards the entrance of the park, not caring that his legs were sore and that his lungs burned from overuse, "Nemo! Nemo!"

His son needed him.

But by the time Marlin reached the sidewalk, the white van and those men who had kidnapped Nemo were nowhere in sight. Marlin looked left and right frantically, but there was no sign of the van anywhere.

"_No_…" Marlin whispered, his hands digging into his hair as he looked this way and that, "No…It's gone. It's gone, it can't be gone! No, no, no! Please God, no! NEMO!"

Marlin took off racing down the sidewalk, turning this way and that and squeezing through the throngs of people. But there was still no van…No van anywhere…

"Has anyone seen a van?" Marlin asked the people walking past him desperately, "Please! A white van!"

The people who walked by him either ignored him outright or looked at him as though he were a lunatic. These people shoved by him without as much as a second glance.

"Please, help me!" Marlin asked, despite how the others acted, "They took my son, please!"

"Move it, buddy!" one particularly rude man shouted, shoving Marlin aside.

"Please, someone help me!"

"Look out!"

"Huh?"

WHACK!

* * *

Well, this was one hell of a chapter, huh? We get introduced to our kidnappers and we end with a real whack! By the way, I purposefully avoided mentioning what country the other kidnappers are from. The main one who speaks English is American but the others under his employment are from another country. It's not like the country they're from matters, but I just want it to be revealed in an upcoming scene, possibly the next chapter.

Next chapter, we finally meet a certain character you've all been waiting for. And another character who's a favorite of mine.

Please keep reading and reviewing everyone!


	4. The Name's Bruce

Hi there, everybody! Here we are at the fourth chapter of this story, which is coming along nicely. I am not sure just how long this story will be. Well, with this chapter, I just wrote approximately the first half hour of the movie in four chapters…Oh well, we'll see later on.

I originally planned to divide this up into two chapters, but I decided against it in the end.

So now we get to properly meet Dory and Bruce and his gang. Dory's looks are based off of the human Dory drawn, once again, by marsbarrl. Seriously, she made some awesome drawings. Although my Dory's clothes don't show her midriff. As for Bruce's design, I'm going to direct you to another deviantArt artist named LierMagician. She drew a short comic depicting when Marlin and Dory ran into Bruce. I saw the comic and immediately fell in love with how she drew Bruce (No, not just because he's good looking!). I think it was his gloves…they're way too awesome (I can't describe them properly in the story…You're going to have to look up the picture to see how they look like).

As for Anchor and Chum, I made up a description, but you're free to imagine what you wish. Dory's and Bruce's character profiles are at the bottom of this page, so check them out!

By the way, I borrowed heavily in this chapter from the chapter in Ronnie343's story "His Little Boy" when her version of Marlin and Dory meet her version of Bruce and the gang and the whole fiasco that follows. So a lot of credit for this chapter goes to her, though I tried to keep things original too!

Disclaimer: I don't own Finding Nemo at all.

* * *

WHACK!

Marlin fell back onto the ground, causing the pedestrian traffic to go around him, aggravating people and causing them to sneer at him. Not that he noticed any of this, being too busy holding his aching head in his hands. He had hit something head on…Quite hard.

"Oww…"

…Make that _someone_.

"Oh, sorry!" a woman's voice said, "I didn't see you!"

Once the throbbing subsided, Marlin lifted his head and opened his eyes. He found a pair of bright, amber brown eyes staring at him.

"Gah!" Marlin shouted, scrambling back a bit.

He was about to say something to this woman, an apology most likely, when the reality of his situation came crashing down around him. Nemo…Nemo had been stolen away from him. He had lost the van his son was taken away in…

Nemo was gone.

"Sir? Are-are you okay?" the woman asked, moving herself a little closer to Marlin.

Marlin put his face back in his hands, his entire body shaking with rage and grief. What kind of father was he? He had promised to protect Nemo but he failed…He was a completely and utterly failure as a parent…

What would Coral think of him?

"He's gone…" Marlin mumbled, depressed by the turn of events.

The woman stared at Marlin in confusion for a second before putting a hand on his shoulder.

"There, there…" she said soothingly.

"No, he's gone."

"It's alright."

"He's gone."

"It'll be okay."

"No, no, they took him away!" Marlin half-shouted, only partially aware of the presence of the woman beside him, "I…I have to find that van!"

He quickly got to his feet and brushed the dirt off his pants, looking around to figure out which way he should go first.

"A van?" the woman repeated as she too stood up, "Hey, I've seen a van!"

Marlin turned to look at the woman so fast, he nearly got whiplash.

"You have?" he asked hopefully and disbelievingly at the same time.

"Uh-huh!" the woman replied in an almost childlike manner, nodding, "And it passed by not too long ago. Nearly ran me over when I was crossing the street."

"A white one?" Marlin questioned as he stared in the direction the woman was looking in.

"Hi. I'm Dory," the woman stated cheerfully as she held out her hand, as though she hadn't heard Marlin.

"Where?" Marlin asked in a near manic manner, "Which way?"

"Oh, oh, oh, oh! It went, um…" the woman, Dory, looked down the street with furrowed eyebrows, "This way! It went this way! Follow me!"

As Dory said this confidently and proceeded to run off, Marlin followed close behind her, weaving through the other people on the sidewalk, a bubble of hope building up inside of him.

"Thank you!" he called out to Dory gratefully, "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"No problem!" Dory said in response as she continued leading him down different streets.

As he followed her, Marlin couldn't help but actually look at the person who had given him a chance to save his son from his kidnappers.

The girl was a tall one, a couple inches taller than his own 5'7, and on the slim side. When she had been staring at him with those big amber eyes, he had also noticed that she had a spattering of freckles across her nose, both features making her look quite young, possibly in her late teens. Her clothes, a bright yellow shirt, denim overalls that reached her knees, and colorful sneakers, added to this idea.

Oh, and of course Marlin noticed that she had long, bright blue hair that she tied back in a ponytail.

_Kids today and their dye jobs…_Marlin found himself thinking, despite the seriousness of the situation.

* * *

Dory raced down street after street, apologizing when she accidentally bumped into people until there were barely any other people on the sidewalk. She felt sorry for the poor man she bumped into, who looked ready to cry. She didn't know what to do, so she had pat his shoulder and said those words that she could've sworn she heard somewhere before.

The second he mentioned a van, she remembered that awful white van that nearly ran her over and found a way to help the man. Dory did her best to remember which way the van went…

The sun was shining brightly today. There weren't any clouds in the sky. Dory looked up and grinned at all of the blue, the same color as her hair. She wondered why she was out running on such a lovely day. Today was more of a walking day.

Or, even better, a skipping day!

Dory slowed down and started to skip along down a few streets, humming a tune all the while. She heard a sound behind her and looked over her shoulder. Dory's smile vanished and she snapped her head straight ahead.

There was a man following her!

_Maybe he's just going the same way! _Dory thought optimistically. _He'll go a different way soon…_

But when Dory looked over her shoulder again, the man was still close behind her, a puzzled expression on his face. Images passed through Dory's mind of men who wait until young women are all alone and then drag them into dark alleyways and then…

She sprinted.

* * *

Marlin had been confused when Dory had suddenly slowed down and started skipping. He had half a mind to snap at her for acting so lightly when his poor son was who knows where and in trouble. Marlin's puzzlement doubled when Dory kept glancing fearfully over her shoulder at him.

He froze in his steps for a second when she suddenly sprinted off down a side street.

Marlin was panting as he ran after the fast woman. He may have been on the track team back in high school, but that was several years ago. He was quite out of practice, especially since he made sure that Nemo didn't run around too much and hurt himself.

"Hey, wait!" Marlin yelled when Dory started to zigzag down streets obviously at random.

He took a deep breath and then brought out the teenage track runner he used to be. He picked up speed, closing in on Dory, who was looking over her shoulder far more frequently now. They turned and Marlin noticed that it was a dead end up ahead.

Dory apparently noticed this as well, because she suddenly stopped and turned around, her hands balled in fists and a look of fury on her face. Marlin skidded to a stop just in front of her.

"Will you quit it?" she shouted at him.

"What?" Marlin asked in bewilderment.

"I'm trying to walk here, you know," Dory continued angrily, "What, the city isn't big enough for you?"

"What are you-?"

"You gotta problem, buddy?" Dory interjected, "Huh? Huh?"

Dory proceeded to get right up in an utterly confused Marlin's face.

"Do you? Do you? _Do you_?" she asked, looking down on the shorter man, her face close to his, "You wanna piece of me, ginger?"

Dory then jumped back a foot and did a series of strange "karate" movements that were so fake, a three year old would know the difference. As Dory made several loud, stereotypical martial arts noises, Marlin found himself glancing around, half expecting this all to be some idiotic hidden camera show he's found himself in.

"You better stop following me!" Dory said as she did a crane pose, "Got that, buddy?"

"_What're you talking about_?" Marlin finally said, at his wit's end, "You're showing me which way the white van went!"

"A white van?" Dory echoed as Marlin got a strange case of déjà vu, "Hey, I've seen a white van! It passed by not too long ago. Nearly ran me over too. It went, um…This way! It went this way! Follow me!"

As Dorr tried to run past him, Marlin blocked her, a sharp glare on his face.

"Wait a minute!" he yelled, not caring if he sounded rude at this point, "What is going on? You already told me you knew which way the van went!"

"I did?" Dory asked, a look of realization growing on her face as she put a hand against her forehead, "Oh, no…"

"If this is some kind of practical joke, it's not funny," Marlin growled, "And I know funny! I used to be a comedian!"

"No, it's not," Dory agreed, looking flustered, "I am so sorry, I know it's not…You see…I suffer from short-term memory loss…"

"Short. Term. Memory. Loss," Marlin repeated slowly, Dory nodding at each word. Marlin let out a small laugh, though he didn't find any bit of this comical, "I don't believe this!"

"No, it's true!" Dory insisted, "I forget things almost instantly. Though my family tells me it wasn't always this bad…I mean, at least I-I think they did…Hmm, where are they?"

After a few awkwardly silent seconds, Dory looked up at Marlin, who was staring at her without saying a word.

"Can I help you?" she asked brightly.

"Something's wrong with you," Marlin said bluntly, taking a step away from Dory, "Really. Y-you're wasting my time. I have to find my son."

Marlin turned on his heel and started walking away, looking over his shoulder at Dory, who appeared completely clueless as to what just happened. He sighed, feeling a small sting of pity for the girl, before turning his gaze forward.

"Hello."

Marlin froze in his tracks, every ounce of spirit in him fleeing his body in terror.

There was a giant man in front of him, well over six feet. He was leaning down, his face close to Marlin's. He had black hair and long sideburns, sharp metallic gray eyes and a large smirk that showed off unusually sharp canines. He wore a brown choker, a dark bluish-gray jacket with a symbol of a shark on it over a white shirt, blue jeans with a chain hanging off the side, and a pair of black boots.

The man straightened up again, showing off just how tall he was. Marlin tried to keep himself from shaking and hated how a _very_ unmanly noise came out of his mouth when he tried to say something to the tall man.

"Well, hi!" Dory said cheerfully as she popped up out of nowhere beside Marlin, making him jump.

"Name's Bruce," the man greeted in a thick Australian accent as he extended a hand towards the pair.

While Dory tilted her head and continued to smile at the man, not terrified in the slightest, Marlin let out a noise even more unmanly than the last.

The man, obviously a gangster, was wearing black gloves. Not any normal gloves either. These gloves had metal covering the top half of his fingers, and the ends of the pieces of metal were sharped to look like claws, claws that could rip a person to shreds.

The man, Bruce, seemed to sense the apprehension on the pair's, well, Marlin's, part and put away his hand, though he was still grinning.

"It's alright, I understand," he said, starting to back away and turn, "Why trust a gangster? Especially the leader of the Sharks gang?"

Just as Marlin was about to let out a sigh of relief at the gangster's departure, Bruce suddenly spun around and shot a fist towards Marlin's face. Marlin, who had lost any dignity he had left with the last two noises that came out of him, let out a shriek and covered his face with his hands.

_This is how I die…_he thought over and over. _This is how I die. This is how I die._

When he lowered them, he saw Bruce's fist just in front of him. Bruce loosened his fist, allowing the sun to shine off of the claws.

Dory didn't even flinch at the sudden attack.

Bruce started to laugh uproariously at the pair's reaction, while Dory wondered what was so funny and Marlin wondered what the hell he did to deserve dying at the hands of a gangster who was missing a few screws…

"So," Bruce started once his laughing fit died down, "What's a couple of city folk like you doing out here, eh?"

"Nothing!" Marlin replied quickly, his voice an octave higher than usual. As he coughed to bring his voice back to normal, he unconsciously sidestepped closer to Dory, "Nothing, we're not doing anything! We're not even out!"

"Great!" Bruce exclaimed loudly as he circled the pair, "Then, how'd you two like to come to a little…little get-together I'm having?"

"You mean, like a party?" Dory asked excitedly while Marlin tried to get her to shut up without Bruce noticing.

"Yeah," Bruce said as he stopped right behind Marlin and Dory, "Yeah, a party. What do you say?"

"Oh, I love parties!" Dory squealed, clapping her hands as she smiled at Marlin, who stared at her incredulously, "Doesn't that sound like fun?"

"Yes, well, parties are fun…" Marlin said, grabbing Dory by the wrist and gently tugging her along as he tried to get them away from Bruce, "And your offer is really tempting, but we can't, you see-"

"C'mon, I insist," Bruce said as he draped his arms around the two's shoulders, causing Marlin to stiffen.

"Okay…" Marlin moaned as Bruce directed him and Dory towards a tricked out car, most definitely Bruce's, "I guess that all that matters, after all…"

The three got in the car and Bruce proceeded to drive them to who knew where. While Dory started bouncing in her seat, occasionally asking where they were going, a question that Bruce answered with a laugh every time, Marlin stared out the window.

_Nemo…_he thought. _Hold on. I'm coming…_

* * *

Meanwhile, at a private airfield quite some time away from Bellerose, Queens…

The white van parked and the men got out, two of them carrying Nemo by the arms and legs. Nemo was too tired to cry or yell anymore. He could only look about fearfully, not recognizing his surroundings in the slightest.

All he saw was that these strange men were carrying him towards a small plane.

"Wh-where are you taking me?" Nemo asked, his voice hoarse from overuse.

One of the men carrying Nemo said something he couldn't understand. The man leading the group looked over his shoulder.

"To put it simply, kid, he told you to shut up," he said with a smirk.

"Y-you won't get away with th-this!" Nemo stuttered, trying to sound brave but still scared, "My Daddy will come and s-save me!"

The leader let out a harsh laugh as the group boarded the plane. As the other men sat Nemo down, the leader tied Nemo's feet and hands together with cable ties. Nemo winced at how tight the man made them.

"Kid, I'd love to see what a wuss like your old man will do," the man spat before taking his seat and ordering the plane to take off.

* * *

Marlin gulped as Bruce drove the car through a shady neighborhood as it neared dusk. There were shoes tied on the cable lines. A few scantily clad women were hanging out under the streetlights. There were groups standing at random corners, eyeing the car carefully. Marlin saw that some of those people were armed, but they didn't make any move on the slow moving car. Perhaps Bruce was a force to be reckoned with in this neighborhood?

If so, that made Marlin even more nervous…Never mind the fact that Dory had rolled down the window and was waving enthusiastically at the people they passed, as though they were old friends.

"Would you _stop_?" Marlin hissed at her.

"Aw, c'mon, Grumpy Pants," Dory said in playfully, "Be a little more social."

After a few more minutes of driving down a deserted road, the car came to a park in front of a small warehouse type structure. Marlin regarded this place carefully as he, Dory, and Bruce exited the car.

The metallic walls of the building were rusting. There was a broken sign with faded lettering on it. One of the doors was swinging off its hinges. The grass around the building was long and uncared for. Tires, bottles, glass and other garbage surrounded the building.

"_We're not in Bellerose anymore_," Marlin whispered under his breath.

"Ooh, how exciting!" Dory said eagerly, making Marlin wonder if fear was an emotion she ever felt, "Is this one of those garbage dump rave parties?"

"Not exactly," Bruce laughed as he guided the pair inside. As they stopped in front of the door, Bruce looked down and noticed Marlin about to have a panic attack, "It's alright, mate. Just relax, I don't bite…"

Marlin smiled uneasily at that, frowning once more when Bruce looked away. As the gangster rapped his hands against the door, the sound of the metal of his clawed gloves against the steel of the door made Marlin flinch…And, oddly enough, start recalling those Freddy Krueger films of his youth…

"There you are, Bruce!"

The Aussie who spoke, a tall and lean man with a shaved head, wearing a tan muscle shirt, ripped jeans, chains, and boots like Bruce's, opened the door.

"G'day, Anchor!" Bruce greeted, "Where's Chum?"

"I'm here, mate," another man with an Australian accent answered.

This man had shaggy, dark brown hair and wore a large leather jacket over a tight shirt, baggy pants, and sneakers. Marlin shuddered at the small hook that was pierced on the man's eyebrow.

"We got company," Bruce said, pushing Marlin and Dory forward.

"It's about time!" the man named Anchor stated.

"Let's get this over with," the one called Chum said.

While Dory looked ready to party, Marlin chose to close his eyes tightly as Bruce guided them into the warehouse. He may freak out even more if he kept them open. Marlin heard the noise of someone hyperventilating as he was pushed into sitting on a small metal chair. He heard the sound of a series of light switches been flicked on. And then…

Bang, bang!

Marlin tensed at this sound, his hands gripping the edge of his seat tightly. When he didn't feel the pain one would associate with being shot at, he slowly opened his eyes, blinking rapidly to adjust to the change in light.

Once his eyes did adjust, what he saw made his mouth drop.

"Right, then," Bruce started in a formal tone, "The meeting has officially come to order."

Bruce was standing behind a somewhat rotting but still durable wooden podium, holding a small gavel in his hand. Above him, tied to a railing, was a banner with the name of an organization on it. Dory was seated on one side of Marlin, the man named Chum on the other side. Beside Chum was an empty seat and beside Dory were Anchor and a small and thin boy, probably no older than sixteen, hyperventilating as his limbs twitched.

"Let us all say the pledge," Bruce said as Marlin gaped at the scene before him.

The three gangsters all raised their right hands. Dory, still smiling away, raised hers as well. Marlin chose to keep his hand down as he tried to make sense of the situation.

"I am a nice gangster, not a mindless killing machine," the gangsters recited while Dory nodded along, "If I am to change this image, I must first change myself. We fight only for self-defense, not for pleasure."

Marlin kept staring in shock at the scene before him while Dory clapped at the end of the pledge. Bruce cleared his throat and gestured at the banner hanging above him.

"Welcome everyone to the fifth meeting of our organization, Fighting Unrestrainedly Creates Stereotypes."

"Ooh, that's a nice name!" Dory exclaimed.

"Got that right."

Marlin looked up at the banner. Despite his fear, he managed to make a comment.

"So…You guys are the-"

"Don't say it!" Anchor interrupted.

"Yeah, unfortunate coincidence, that," Bruce said as he looked at the banner.

"Still better than the last one," Chum added, "It used to say Killer Stereotypes at the end."

Anchor reached over and punched Chum's arm for his remark.

"Right, then," Bruce went on, "Today's meeting is step five: Bring a Friend. Now, do you all have your friends?"

"Got mine," Anchor answered, putting a hand on the terrified teenager's shoulder.

"Hey, there!" Dory greeted with a wave while Marlin felt sorry for the kid.

"How about you, Chum?" Bruce asked.

"Oh," Chum answered nervously, "Well, I, um…seem to have misplaced my, um, friend…"

Marlin's eyes widened when he saw the bloodied hilt of a small blade stick out of Chum's pocket. Chum quickly pushed the blade back in. As everyone looked at Chum, the teenager took his chance to escape the warehouse.

"That's alright, Chum," Bruce said with a smile, "I had a feeling this would be a difficult step for you. You can help yourself to one of my friends."

"Well, thanks, mate!" Chum said as he put an arm around Marlin's shoulders, "A little chum for Chum, eh?"

Marlin seemed to be making plenty of noises that would make people take away his guy card today.

"Well, I'll start the testimonies today," Bruce stood straight behind the podium, "Hello, my name is Bruce."

"Hello, Bruce," Anchor and Chum replied dully, as though they had done this way too many times.

"In the past three weeks, I have only gotten into one fight, but only to protect myself against a gunman. On my honor, or may I jump in front of a speeding train."

Anchor, Chum, and Dory all applauded Bruce as Marlin tried to discreetly locate any nearby exits he could make a run for.

"You're an inspiration to all of us!" Chum declared.

"Amen," Anchor agreed.

"Right then, who's next?" Bruce asked.

"Oh, pick me!" Dory said as she raised her hand high, "Pick me!"

"Yes, the little sheila down the front."

Dory cheered upon being picked and made her way up to the podium as Bruce took the seat that she had emptied.

"Hi," Dory said, "I'm Dory."

"Hello, Dory," the gangsters replied.

"And, uh…well…" Dory pondered her words, "I don't think I've ever gotten into a fight before."

There was about a second of silence before the gangsters started clapping their hands.

"Hey, that's incredible!" Chum said in awe.

"Good on you, mate!" Bruce congratulated.

"Thank goodness!" Dory said with a relieved sigh, "I'm glad I got that off my chest."

"Alright, what about you, mate?" Bruce told Marlin, who jumped a bit at being addressed, "What's you problem?"

"Me? I don't-I don't have a problem," Marlin responded in a blink on an eye.

The gangsters looked at each other knowingly.

"Oh, okay…Denial."

With that, Bruce shoved Marlin towards the podium with a little more force than necessary. As Dory went back to take a seat, she gave Marlin a thumbs up. He stood behind the podium and swallowed nervously.

"Hello," Marlin started, his figure shaking, "My name is Marlin. I'm a pharmacist, but I used to be a comedian-"

"A comedian?" Chum repeated eagerly.

"Go on, tell us a joke," Bruce said.

"Well, I'm a _former_ comedian…" Marlin answered.

"C'mon, mate," Bruce insisted, "Tell us a joke!"

"Well, I guess I know a good one," Marlin began slowly, chuckling a bit, "Um, there are these two ladies. You can name them whatever you want. Rachel and Jennifer, Suzie and Kate, Mary and Joan, whatever. It doesn't really pertain to the joke what their names are. They're friends, but they don't have to be. They can neighbors, cousins, sisters…"

The smiles on the gangsters faces faded as Marlin kept going and going.

"Anyways, the woman, let's call her Rachel, says to the other woman, let's name her Jennifer…" Marlin continues, only for his voice to trail off as he notices something lying on the ground just a few feet away.

A piece of paper with a very familiar logo on top…

* * *

"_Sorry!" Marlin said as he bumped into a man at the entrance. _

_The man dropped a paper he was holding, which landed by Marlin's feet. Marlin picked it up, noticing an interesting logo on the top of the paper, which was covered in funny looking symbols._

* * *

"Nemo…" Marlin murmured as he walked towards the paper.

"Nemo!" Chum guffawed, "Nemo-I don't get it…"

"He's not really that funny," Bruce whispered, "No wonder he gave up the comedy career."

"No, no, no, no…He's my son," Marlin told them as he picked up the paper, "He was kidnapped right before my eyes."

"Oh, you poor man…" Dory whispered sympathetically.

"Can't believe some people!" Chum scoffed.

"Going after little kids…" Anchor agreed in disgust.

"Now there is a father, looking for his little boy," Bruce sniffed. Anchor and Chum were startled when their always tough and strong leader suddenly began wailing, "I never knew my father!"

"Come here. Group hug. We're all mates here," Anchor and Chum said as they comforted him.

"Ugh, what are these markings?" Marlin grumbled to himself as he tried to make some sense of all the strange symbols on the paper.

"What're you reading there?"

Marlin let out a shout of shock at the voice as he turned around quickly, accidentally smacking his head against Dory's.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Marlin apologized after the pain subsided. Dory was clutching her hands over her nose, "Are you okay?"

"Ow, ow, ow…" Dory moaned, "Man, you really clocked me there."

"I'm so sorry…"

"Am I bleeding?"

"You alright, Dory?" Bruce asked.

"Just peachy!" Dory replied as she and Marlin turned to face the gangsters, Dory lowering her hands from her face.

She wasn't aware of the small trickle of blood coming from her nose.

Bruce's eyes locked on the blood and he suddenly, for lack of a better word, morphed. His pupils dilated and his fingers twitched. Marlin shuddered at the smile on Bruce's face. It wasn't the same smile he had been showing off before. No, this was nothing short of a slasher smile…

Anchor and Chum seemed to notice the change in their leader before Marlin or Dory realized how much trouble they were in.

"INTERVENTION!" they shouted together as they ran forward and tackled Bruce, who had taken a step forward, to the ground.

"Hold it together, mate!" Anchor shouted as Bruce trashed about.

"Remember," Chum tried to remind him, "We fight for self-defense, not for ple-"

With a shout, Bruce knocked the pair off of him and started to rush towards Marlin and Dory. Marlin reacted quickly, grabbing Dory's wrist and dragging her towards the nearest door. The redhead let out a moan when he realized that the door only led to another, smaller room. But he went over to a couch and, using the adrenaline that was coursing through his veins at that moment, pushed it in front of the door just as Bruce began banging against it.

"Who is it?" Dory asked, ignorant to what was happening.

"Dory!" Marlin yelled, "Get away from there and help me find a way out!"

"Sorry!" Dory said as Bruce continued to ram the door, "You'll have to come back later, we're trying to escape."

As the pair searched the room, they heard Anchor and Chum talking to them in-between Bruce's attacks against the door, which was slowly starting to buckle from the assault.

"Sorry about…Bruce, mate!" Chum said, "He's got…some blood issues!"

"He's really…a nice guy!" Anchor swore, "Don't blame…him. He never…even…knew his father!"

"How do we escape?" Marlin wondered.

"Look, here's something!" Dory said, pointing at a hatch on the ceiling. The writing next to it read "бежать", "That's a funny word. It means 'escape' in Russian-"

Marlin cut off whatever else Dory was about to say by rushing over to her and lifting her up so that she was within reach of the hatch.

"Open it!" Marlin ordered as Bruce managed to open the door just a smidge.

"Here's Brucey!" he yelled dementedly as he peered through the crack.

"I got it!" Dory cried as she opened the hatch.

"Climb through!" Marlin shouted as Bruce opened the door farther and farther, "Hurry!"

Dory scrambled up and, with a grunt, managed to pull herself through the hatch. She then reached her arms down and Marlin grabbed them. With a lot of straining and effort, Dory slowly pulled Marlin up, just as Bruce burst into the room.

Marlin and Dory were on the roof of a small extension to the warehouse. Marlin looked down, thankful to see that not only were they only a few feet above ground, but that there were several bags of fertilizer waiting below.

"Alright, Dory, we have to jump," Marlin warned her.

"Cool!" Dory exclaimed as she looked down. She grabbed Marlin's hand, "One, two three, GO!"

Dory jumped, pulling Marlin with her. The two fell onto the bags of fertilizer roughly but were unhurt. Marlin got to his feet, pulling Dory up as well, and the pair sprinted down the street as Bruce came running out the main entrance of the warehouse, Anchor and Chum close behind, trying to remind him about the steps of the program.

"Wait…a minute…" Marlin panted as they ran, looking at Dory, "You said that was Russian on the hatch?"

"What hatch?" Dory asked.

Marlin didn't justify that with a response, instead mentally comparing the writing next to the hatch with the writing on the piece of paper in his pocket.

"_It's in Russian_," he whispered, adding more loudly, "Dory, you know Russian?"

"I know Russian?" Dory asked herself. Her face then lit up at her sudden remembrance, "Oh yeah, I know Russian!"

"Well, then…" Marlin began, reaching into his pocket, "Try reading-"

He was interrupted by a gun being fired, the bullet whizzing past his head. Marlin blanched as he looked over his shoulder to see Bruce pointing a gun at him and Dory.

"He was armed the whole time!" Marlin choked out.

"Hey, is that a gangster?" Dory questioned as she too looked back.

* * *

Just a block ahead of Marlin and Dory, a group of young thugs had stopped a car that was unlucky enough to have taken a wrong turn into the neighborhood. They pulled the driver out and were in the process of robbing him. The thugs and the driver looked up when they heard a gunshot and saw a redhead and a girl with blue hair running away from…

"Damn!" one thug yelled, his lit cigarette falling to the ground, "It's the Sharks!"

That sentence sent the other thugs scrambling for cover. The driver, in a state of panic, ran away screaming from the scene just as a stray bullet pierced his car and made gas start leaking out.

* * *

Marlin and Dory ran past a car that smelled funny at breakneck speed. After a couple more bullets fired, the two took cover behind a car just a few yards away.

As the gangsters got closer, Bruce seemed to be slowly coming to his senses. He stopped by the leaking car, Anchor and Chum halting right behind him, all three of them out of breath. Chum sniffed the air when he smelled the familiar stench of gasoline. Anchor also smelled it and the two stared at the trail of gasoline getting closer and closer to a still burning cigarette.

"Oh no…" Anchor moaned.

"Bruce…" Chum said warningly.

"Wh-what?" Bruce asked as he pocketed his gun, finally snapping out of his stupor.

He followed the men's gazes and his eyes widened.

"Run away!" he shouted.

Marlin and Dory peeked out from behind the car they were hiding behind, watching the three gangsters run in the direction they came from.

"Aw, is the party over?" Dory wondered disappointedly.

Gasoline and cigarette met and an explosion rocked the neighborhood, sending metal and fire flying around, lighting up the night sky.

* * *

Phew! The chapter's over! It was a bit longer than I expected, but I said that I didn't want to divide this up into two separate chapters. It was fun.

…You guys have no idea how long I thought in order to make a name for the organization that would work with that joke. I think this is the most "risqué" joke I've ever written…Shows how much of a priss I am, huh? Oh! Here are Dory's and Bruce's profiles! By the way, something to note for my profile, I only put down _**living**_ family members in the family section, hence why Coral isn't mentioned in Marlin's or Nemo's profiles.

**Dory Poole: Age: **25; **Height: **5'9; **Occupation: **Freelance Russian-English translator; **Family: **Nathan Poole (dad), Maggie Poole (mom); **Fun Fact: **Thanks to her youthful appearance, her childlike attitude, and the fact that she dyed her hair a bright blue, Dory is often mistaken for being much younger than she really is. This can cause problems for her in numerous cases, especially jobwise since employers think she's too young to do the job properly.

**Bruce Quint: Age: **24; **Height: **6'6; **Occupation: **Gangster, Works odd jobs; **Family: **N/A; **Fun Fact: **Bruce is really devoted to his group Fighting Unrestrainedly Creates Stereotypes, but no one else in his neighborhood is actually aware of his change of nature. Because of this, everyone is still scared to death of him, thinking he'll attack them at the drop of a hat, so they try to avoid him. This puts a damper on his recruitment process, but he's still optimistic.

Giant, chocolate chip cookies to those of you who know where I got Bruce's last name from…

Well, please keep reading and reviewing my story!


	5. The New Guy

Well, hello once more everyone! I'm glad to see that everyone is enjoying this story so far! Also, a warning. **Due to several upcoming projects I have to do for college, I won't be able to update this story until next Friday.** I hope you all are patience and bear with me. Don't worry! Just wait for next Friday and you'll have a new chapter!

Alright, I didn't want to switch back to what Marlin and Dory are doing just yet. This chapter is devoted solely to Nemo and his meeting with the humanized Tank Gang. I borrowed tiny bits of this chapter from Ronnie343's story, but most of it is original enough. Yes, the members of the Tank Gang are much younger than their movie counterparts, but I only made this change for the sake of the story I have in mind here. As far as Nigel is concerned, I wanted him to be involved in the story, but considering the circumstances, how to involve him was difficult. I thought up something pretty interesting, something that will be revealed in a future chapter.

By the way, I don't plan on having this story outright state what kind of business this is…but it will be heavily implied.

As far as imagining the Tank Gang goes, I'm basing Gill, Bloat, Bubbles, and Gurgle off of the drawings by marsbarrl, with a few changes here and there. As for Peach, Deb, Jacques, and Nigel, I've written my own descriptions for them, so you can imagine their looks based off of that. The Tank Gang's and Nigel's profiles can be found at the bottom of this page!

And with that, let's move on with this tale!

Disclaimer: Finding Nemo isn't mine for the owning, it belongs to Disney.

* * *

About an hour after the small plane had taken off, Nemo had fallen fast asleep. Of course he was still terrified out of his mind, but he was far too tired from everything that had happened to him.

After several hours of fitful sleep, Nemo was jerked awake by the leader of the group that had kidnapped him. It was early morning, probably five.

"Wakey, wakey, little runt," the man said in a mockingly kind tone, "Time to go to your new home!"

Nemo whimpered as the Russian men in the leader's employment pulled him out of his seat. He really stumbled, thanks to the cable ties still wrapped around his feet. One of the mooks hoisted Nemo over his shoulder and the group made its way out of the plane and into a waiting car, where Nemo was flung into the backseat like a ragdoll.

For the next two or three hours, Nemo wasn't sure how long exactly, they drove in silence. Nemo looked out his window to see if he could recognize where he was…

…He was utterly baffled. He saw tall mountains, long rivers, and the occasional forest. They passed cities bigger than Nemo would have ever dreamed of and small towns as well.

"Where are we?" Nemo asked softly.

"In a magical land, kid," the leader replied sarcastically, "Full of witches and fairies."

Nemo narrowed his eyes at the rude man, but he didn't respond to him. All Nemo could think was that he was farther away from home than he ever expected he would be…And the last thing he told his dad was that he hated him…

_Dad…_Nemo thought sadly, sniffing. _I'm scared._

* * *

"Here we are, ginger! Home sweet home!"

Nemo glanced out the window to see how much of this new "home" he could make out. The car had driven and driven until they had reached a rather shady and rundown neighborhood. There were few houses, and they all looked near ready to collapse from rust and mold. A few people were in the streets, all of them looking like the scary people Nemo saw in a movie he had watched in secret after his dad had gone to sleep.

The building the car was driving up to looked way better off than any other building in the neighborhood. It was a brick building, about two stories tall, and surrounded by a chain link fence that was almost just as tall. There were only two windows that Nemo could see, and they were on the top floor of the building. The car pulled up to a gate in front of the building and the driver entered a code into a keypad on the fence. Nemo gaped as the gate slowly slid open, allowing the car inside before sliding shut on its own.

"Nice place, isn't it?" the leader asked as the car came to a stop, "Excellent neighborhood. The cops gave up on this area years ago. Haven't seen any around here in over twenty years. And none of the neighbors are snitches…"

Nemo gulped as he was forced out of the car. One of the Russians untied his feet so that he could walk on his own, though his hands remained restrained. The group marched in a single file line, Nemo stuck between two of the mooks, through the front door, which was locked behind them.

Nemo looked around with apprehension. The room was huge, with a high ceiling, upon which large lights were fixed, giving the room brightness. There was a large overhead door, like the one seen on most garages, on the other side of the room, a keypad on the wall next to it. On one side there was a door that was wide open. Nemo could see that through that door was a small room with a table several chairs and a chalkboard covered in drawings and papers. On the other side, there was another of these rooms. Only this one had a large window in the front, allowing anyone on the outside to view the inside of the smaller room easily.

This was where the men were leading Nemo. One of the Russians opened the door while the leader shoved Nemo inside. He too went in the room, but only to untie Nemo's hands.

"Alright, let's go over a few things, kiddie," the leader said once Nemo's hands were free, "The bedrooms are all upstairs. Every night, at ten on the dot, you'll be escorted to your room and locked in tight. Then, every morning you're to come down to this room by no later than nine. This is a special door…Locks automatically once it closes, you see? Can only be opened from the outside."

"But wh-what about food?" Nemo asked.

"Don't worry about that!" the man exclaimed, rubbing Nemo's head hard, "We can't have malnourished merchandise, can we? You'll eat in this room, you'll play in this room. Oh, but try not to drink too much. Two bathroom breaks a day."

The man smirked at just how uncomfortable Nemo appeared.

"Enjoy your stay, ginger," he said before backing out of the room, locking it behind him.

Nemo stayed frozen in place for a minute before rushing up to the window and looking out. He saw the men were walking towards that other room, all conversing in Russian. The second they closed the door behind them, Nemo rushed to the door of the room he was locked in.

"Open!" he shouted as he twisted the knob this way and that, "Please, open! C'mon, already!"

Nemo panted when all of his struggles were to no avail. He began to whimper and sniffle as he looked around the room.

The walls were painted with an ocean theme, a bright blue with many friendly looking sea creatures. There was a single clock on the wall; a few feet above it was a single window that, from what Nemo could see, didn't have any glass covering it. It was a single, small, open rectangle. There was a beaten old couch and a small television over on one end. A few other chairs and large beanbags were here and there. Toys and stuffed animals littered the ground.

Nemo's eyes locked on a small stuffed shark. He slowly walked over to it and picked it up, hugging it close. He let out a small cry as he remembered the stuffed clownfish he would hug whenever his dad had to take him someplace by car.

"Daddy…"

He saw that, near the other end of the room, there were a bunch of sheets on the ground, laying as though they were covering up something. Nemo glanced around, despite the fact that he was alone, and made his way over to the sheets. He bent down and slowly lifted up a corner and gasped.

It was a large hole. The drop was probably six or seven feet, leading into a damp and dark basement though was devoid of anything. The floorboards that were supposed to be covering this hole were just to the side, also covered by the sheets.

He may have only been here for a few minutes but Nemo figured that this was covered because it was a secret. A secret those mean men didn't know about. He quickly put the sheets back as close to how he found them before backing away from the spot.

Nemo's feet bumped into something as he backed away from the secret hole. He turned and saw a small treasure chest on the floor. Nemo squatted down and cautiously flicked open the chest, watching with wide eyes as a stream of bubbles came floating out…He didn't hear the door open behind him.

"Bubbles!"

Nemo let out a shriek as a figure dashed towards him, muttering gibberish. He scrambled away as the figure, a teenage boy, played around with the bubbles.

The teen had neat blonde hair and brown eyes that were big and seemed to hold a crazed glint in them. He wore a simple yellow t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. After a moment, the lid closed on the treasure chest and the boy held onto it possessively as he looked at Nemo.

"My bubbles," he said simply.

Nemo tried to slowly back away from the boy before he bumped into something else.

…Make that _someone_ else. This time it was a girl who looked a couple years older than the bubble boy. She had short blonde hair with a single pink streak in it and had dark green eyes. She wore a black shirt with a picture of a pink rose on it, jeans, and plain shoes.

"He likes bubbles," she explained to him.

Nemo was too startled to say anything in return. There were more people here. More people here to hurt him.

"Aah!" he yelled, "No! No!"

He sprinted behind the couch and tucked himself into a ball, still clutching the stuffed shark tightly. He peeked out from behind the couch and saw a couple more figures slowly making their way towards him, whispering amongst themselves.

As Nemo tried to tuck himself into an even tighter ball, a figure came out of nowhere and plopped himself next to him. He was another teenager, about the same age as the bubble boy, with darker red hair than Nemo's, a red and white striped dress shirt, black pants, and black shoes. There was a rag sticking out from his pocket.

"Bonjour," he greeted.

Nemo shouted as he ran away, trying to burst through the crowd around the couch. He was blocked by someone grabbing him. This teen looked to be older than the blonde girl and hefty in size, with somewhat cropped brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a tan jacket over a white shirt, jeans, and sneakers.

"Slow down, little fella!" he said, waiting for Nemo to stop flailing before putting him down. He let out a chuckle at the small boy's frightened expression, "Hey, c'mon, there' nothing to worry about."

"Oh, he's scared to death!" cooed another girl.

She had jet black hair, tied back in a messy bun, bright blue eyes, and a caring smile. She wore a knee length light blue summer dress, a white jacket on top, and a pair of slippers. Oddly enough, she was carrying a handheld mirror.

Next to her was another boy with dark brown hair and grey eyes. He wore a dark purple beanie and a jacket of the same color, somewhat baggy gold pants, and boots. He was rubbing his hands together, a bottle of hand sanitizer in his jacket pocket.

"I-I wanna go home," Nemo murmured, clutching the shark toy. He wasn't scared of these people anymore, but that didn't make him forget his situation, "Where's my dad?"

"Honey," the blonde girl said softly, "You're dad's probably back…wherever you came from."

"Wherever I came from?" Nemo repeated.

"Yeah," the hefty boy said, "I'm Bloat. I'm from Boise, Idaho."

"Alexandria, Virginia," the one with the beanie said next, "I'm Gurgle."

"Danbury, Connecticut," the bubble boy murmured. Nemo wasn't too surprised when he added, "I'm Bubbles."

"Jacksonville, Florida," the girl with the mirror stated, "I'm Deb, and this is my sister, Flo. Don't listen to anything my sister says though, she's nuts!"

Nemo was puzzled when she showed him her image in the mirror and talked to it as though it were another person.

"I'm Peach," the blonde told him, "I'm from Las Cruces, New Mexico."

"Jacques," the French boy said quietly, "Chartres, France…"

"So, which one is it?" Gurgle asked.

"Umm…I'm from Queens, New York…" Nemo answered.

"QUEENS?" Gurgle shouted, "Oh God, a city like that…"

"Gurgle," Peach said warningly.

"Jacques!" Gurgle pleaded.

Jacques let out a huff before pulling a wipe out of his pocket and holding it out to Gurgle, who squirted a dab of hand sanitizer on it. Nemo looked flustered as Jacques then proceeded to wipe down Nemo's hands and legs. After a few seconds of furious scrubbing, Jacques stepped back.

"Voila!" he exclaimed as he tossed the wipe in a nearby trashcan, "He is clean."

"So, you're from New York," Peach said, "That's quite some distance. Sherman goes all out sometimes…"

"Sherman?" Nemo said questioningly.

"Peter Sherman," Bloat clarified, "He's the leader of this lot."

Nemo grimaced as he thought of that awful man who had taunted him since the day before.

"Wow, the hustling and bustling New York," Bubbles whispered in awe, taking Nemo's mind off of this Sherman guy, "What's it like?"

"Uh…it's hustling?" Nemo responded, "And bustling?"

"I knew it!" Bubbles stated seriously.

"Oh!" Peach gasped as she looked at the clock, before muttering something else.

"Can't hear you, Peach!" Bloat told her.

"I said, it's eight thirty," she repeated in a louder tone.

Nemo, as he put the shark toy on a chair, watched as the teenagers, all talking excitedly scrambled to the couch as Deb turned on the television. Jacques quickly sped through the channels on an old fashioned remote until he reached the right channel. Nemo walked over to the teens to see what they were watching.

A title card came up announcing the show as something called "With Every Step". The teens all quieted down as a woman came onscreen. With the slam of a door, a man entered the same room as that woman and dramatic music started to play.

"Alright, this is what we've been waiting for," Deb whispered excitedly.

"George is definitely gonna dump Carmen now!" Peach added, "And it's not gonna be pretty."

Nemo stared confusedly as the two adults on the show started having a heated argument.

"You think he'll confront her about what happened between Alexander and Louise at their anniversary party?" Bloat asked in a hushed tone.

"Yep," Peach answered promptly, "She planted all the right seeds leading to their blow up."

"He better mention it," Gurgle added, "Not to mention her one night stand with Teddy."

"Wait, when did that happen?" Bubbles asked.

"Vous étiez malade," Jacques whispered. He looked over and saw that Bubbles didn't understand, "You were sick."

The girl, "Carmen", Nemo guessed, then slapped the man, "George", across the face. This made the teens gasp and mutter harsh words about her.

"Oh, George could do _so_ much better!" Deb hissed.

"If anyone, he should be with Dominique," Bloat said, "They have chemistry between them like no one else on this show."

"Are you kidding?" Gurgle scoffed, "He would work together better with Valerie. You saw how many times they've eyes each other over the years."

"Yeah, sure," Bloat replied sarcastically, "Have you seen how many times she's eyed Teddy, Luke, Andrew, Matt, Jason…?"

"Whatever, George will definitely end up with Valerie."

"Dominique."

"Valerie!"

"Dominique!" Bloat shouted before he started wheezing, "Can't breathe…"

"I'll get the inhaler," Deb said with a groan as she went over to a nearby table.

While Bloat took a huff from the inhaler, Nemo heard a faint noise from outside the room. It sounded like a car honking. He went over to the window and watched as one of the Russian came out of the other room and strode over to the front door, opening it angrily. He didn't look too pleased at whoever was out there, but he entered a code on a keypad and Nemo heard the loud noise of the gate sliding open and a car coming into the parking lot. A few minutes later, a man came through the door, greeted with distaste by the Russian, who went back to the other room.

The man's short hair was as white as can be, though he didn't look much older than a man in his fifties. He had dark green eyes and several lines on his face, both from stress and from laughing. He had a cigarette in his mouth, which he promptly discarded on the floor and crushed. The man wore a somewhat tattered leather jacket over a dirty white shirt, faded jeans, and sneakers. The man's face lit up when he spotted the room Nemo and the others were in and he ran over.

"Am I late?" the man asked as he ran up to the room's window, his voice muffled by the glass.

"Hey, Nigel!" Peach greeted with a grin as she turned the television so that Nigel could also watch the show, raising the volume as well.

"You'd think after all this time I'd actually be allowed in the room with you guys," he muttered as the teens scooted over as the television was turned, "So, what did I miss?"

"George's dumping Carmen," Peach recapped, "And it's getting nasty."

"He's dropping her, eh?" Nigel said as he focused on the screen, "Has he mentioned what happened between Alexander and Louise yet?"

"Not yet but it should be coming soon."

"It'd better. What with that and her affair with Teddy, not to mention that Maggie seemed to disappear off the face of the Earth after she talked to her. She has it coming."

Nigel then noticed Nemo, who was watching the whole exchange with puzzlement.

"Hello," he greeted with a grin, "Who's this?"

"New guy!" Deb laughed as Nemo unconsciously tried to hide behind her out of shyness.

"Sherman got him from New York," Gurgle said.

"A New Yorker, huh?" Nigel said, "My, you're quite away from home, aren't you?"

"Wh-what do you mean?" Nemo asked with a slight stutter.

"You're in California, kid…"

Nemo paled at those words. California…He was in California? He was all the way on the other side of the country? How was his dad going to find him now?

"You're quite the blabbermouth, huh, Nigel?"

Nemo gasped when the leader of the kidnappers, Sherman, appeared behind Nigel and put a hand on his shoulder. Nigel stiffened at his touch and he turned to Sherman with a cold gaze.

"I think you've overstayed your welcome for today," Sherman told him sternly.

"What, it's a crime to visit the kids now?" Nigel retorted.

"I'd watch my tongue if I were you, Nigel," Sherman said coolly, "We have a deal, remember?"

Nigel narrowed his eyes at Sherman, causing Nemo to think he was going to punch him. But Nigel only allowed Sherman's subordinates to lead him out of the building. A couple minutes later, Nemo heard the sound of a car starting up and driving off quickly.

"Ah, so you made some new friends, ginger?" Sherman said to Nemo, "But one of your new friends doesn't seem to be here yet…What do I do with him?"

Nemo frowned at the man, wondering who this "new friend" was. He noticed that the others were ignoring Sherman outright, either busying themselves with something else or looking anywhere but at the window. At that moment, a shrill ring sounded through the air. Sherman took out a cellphone and answered it.

"Hello," he said, "Ah, why it's a pleasure to hear from you, ma'am…Oh yes, I've found you a brand new toy to play with. Got him while I was doing business in New York….Yes, just as you like them. Young, only six, and a redhead to boot…"

Nemo shivered at the way Sherman looked at him when he said that last part.

"One of the kid's hands is disfigured, but I'm sure it won't cause any issue," Sherman assured whoever was on the other end of the line, "Yes…Yes…Next Friday, huh? That'll work just fine, ma'am. Alright, I'll see you then."

Sherman closed his cellphone and smirked at Nemo.

"Hey, little fella," he said in a singsong tone, "I hope you like your new '_mommy_', Miss Darla. She'll be here next Friday to pick you up. She'll take _real_ good care of you…And if she doesn't…more business for me!"

Sherman laughed as he and his cronies went back to their room to work on who knows what. As soon as the door shut, the teens all glanced at each other and Nemo in absolute horror, Jacques muttering a bunch of things in rapid-fire French under his breath. While Nemo couldn't understand him, he could tell that he wasn't say anything good from his expression.

"Oh God," Bloat said in a whisper, "Darla…"

"What?" Nemo asked fretfully, "What's wrong with her?"

The teens all looked at each other, all questioning if it was right to reveal just what kind of business Sherman ran to a boy as young as Nemo.

"She's one of the worst clients Sherman has," Gurgle started slowly, "Always asks for the real young ones, no older than seven."

"Sherman's sent five kids to her already…" Bubbles picked up, "But she always calls back within a week for a new one, but she never sends back the other kids."

"Last time, she came here in person to pick up her new 'toy'," Peach spat, "We saw then just how terrible she was. The kid acted up, didn't want to go with her. Started crying and screaming…But she'd have none of that."

"She wouldn't stop shaking him…" Deb said in a soft tone, "Poor Charlie…"

"She is un monstre," Jacques said in conclusion.

"I…I can't go with that lady!" Nemo yelled, starting to breathe quickly from his panic, "I have to get back to my dad!"

Nemo was backing away quickly as he said all of this, unaware that he was approaching the sheets he had looked under earlier. With a scream, he slipped through the hole, catching the edge just in time. He hung on with his one good hand and the three fingers of his right hand.

"Daddy! Help me!" he screamed as he dangled.

The teens started to rush over to save him, when the door to the room suddenly opened.

"Nobody touch him."

Nemo turned his head to see the owner of this new voice.

This man's face made him look around the same age as the older teens of the group. But Nemo noticed that there was some gray mixing in with his black, messy hair. Perhaps he was older? The man looked at Nemo with calculating brown eyes. He wore a black and yellow striped shirt and a black blazer on top, jeans, and sneakers.

"Nobody touch him," he repeated as he closed the door behind him, his right hand in his pocket.

The others backed away a couple steps as the new guy approached Nemo. He squatted down just in front of the boy.

"Can you help me?" Nemo asked as he tried to pull himself up.

"No," the man answered bluntly, "You got yourself stuck like this, you can get yourself out."

"Gill-" Deb started.

"I just want to see him do it, okay?" the man named Gill interrupted. He then looked at Nemo and spoke calmly, "Don't panic. Just get move your arm a little further and you can pull yourself up."

"I can't!" Nemo exclaimed, "I have a bad hand!"

Gill didn't look moved at all by this. Instead, he removed his blazer as his mouth formed a thin line.

"Never stopped me."

Nemo gasped as Gill took his right hand out of his pocket…only to reveal that there was no hand at all. Just a stump attached to his wrist. Nemo finally _looked_ at Gill. Besides the missing hand, Gill's entire right arm was heavily scarred. He also had a long scar on the right side of his face, reaching from the top of his forehead to his jaw, even passing over his eyelid.

"Just think about what you need to do," Gill told Nemo.

A strange feeling built up inside of Nemo. A feeling of…something. Something that told him that his disfigured hand shouldn't get in his way.

Nemo grunted as he started to pull and move his arms carefully. With some effort, he managed to slowly but surely pull himself up. After a few more seconds, Nemo managed to pull himself completely out of the hole.

"Perfect," Gill smirked as the other teens quickly grabbed the floorboards that laid to the side and covered the hole loosely, placing many sheets over the spot.

Once they were done with their task, making sure the floorboards were loose enough for them to remove the boards again in the future, the teens swarmed Nemo and congratulated him on pulling himself out without any help. As Nemo blushed at all the praise, he didn't notice Peach hanging back next to Gill.

"Wow," she said with admiration as she looked at the kid, "From Queens…Just like you, Gill."

"Is he?" Gill asked in a distracted manner as he put his blazer back on, eyeing the boy carefully, a smile forming on his face.

"I've seen that look before," Peach chuckled, "What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking…" Gill answered slowly, "Tonight, before we get sent back up, we give the kid a proper reception…"

"Way to go, Nemo!" Bloat exclaimed.

"How'd you know my name?" Nemo asked.

"It says so on your sleeve."

Nemo looked at the sleeve of his hoodie. Yes, his name was there, stitched in carefully. His father had tasked himself with stitching Nemo's name onto nearly every piece of clothing he wore, just in case.

"Yeah…That's me. I'm Nemo."

* * *

Whoo! Done for today! This took some time to get right, but I like the result. Yup, they watch a soap opera (which I completely made up). I wanted something that can be considered just as funny as fish observing a dentist at work for entertainment. And I thought a bunch of teens watching a soap opera is pretty funny.

I'm tired, so let's go straight to the character profiles! By the way, I put quotation marks for everyone's first name but Deb and Nigel for a reason that'll be revealed in a later chapter. And yes, for all of them I put a question mark next to family. This is because I want the family situation with these guys to be revealed in the story. And they're not the only ones who will have some plot focus on family…That's all I'm going to say for now.

"**Gill" Reefe: Age: **18; **Height: **5'9; **Occupation: **N/A; **Family: ?** ; **Fun Fact: **Despite the fact that he can come across as rather cold and uncaring, he's actually a big softie. He can come across as a great mentor towards others, especially towards boys who are younger than him. He states that he has a reason for this but he has yet to give anyone a straight answer.

"**Peach" Starling: Age: **16; **Height: **5'5; **Occupation: **N/A; **Family: ?** ; **Fun Fact: **While she does have a tendency to mutter, she also has a tendency to speak her mind a lot. Her muttering is never out of shyness, but out of ignorance as to how softly she can speak at times.

"**Bloat" Puffer: Age: **17; **Height: **6'0; **Occupation: **N/A; **Family: ?** ; **Fun Fact: **When he was younger, he would always be made fun for having asthma and how big he is. Because of this, he has a tendency to talk loudly and act like nothing's wrong with him.

"**Bubbles" Millais: Age: **15; **Height: **5'6; **Occupation: **N/A; **Family: ?** ; **Fun Fact: **Whenever he's around bubbles, he can seem crazy and a bit of an idiot. But he's actually a pretty normal kid…He just has a bit of an eccentric nature to him when the bubbles show up.

"**Gurgle" Hammond: Age: **16; **Height: **5'7; **Occupation: **N/A; **Family: ?** ; **Fun Fact: **Despite what others believe, he does not have mysophobia. He doesn't fear germs, getting dirty, or stuff like that at all. He just HATES being dirty and living dirty…there's a difference.

**Deb Spiegel: Age: **15; **Height: **5'2; **Occupation: **N/A; **Family: ?** ; **Fun Fact: **Sherman got her the handheld mirror she carries around specifically so that she would stop freaking out over not being able to see "Flo" on any surfaces.

"**Jacques" Lestrange: Age: **13; **Height: **5'4; **Occupation: **N/A; **Family: ?** ; **Fun Fact: **He may not talk as much as everyone else but he is just as active and involved as the others, if not more so. He feels like he needs to do more since he's the youngest of the group (barring Nemo).

**Nigel Byrd: Age: **54; **Height: **5'11; **Occupation: **Works odd jobs; **Family: ?** ; **Fun Fact: **He's one of the few people who Sherman has to work VERY hard to intimidate. Nigel, having lived in such a rough neighborhood for so many years, is pretty strong willed.

Why yes…I do like using puns/wordplay/references for the surnames of the characters in this story. How did you know?

Okay, more cookies to those who can tell me where I got Bubbles', Gurgle's, Deb's, and Jacques' surnames from. Don't think Harry Potter for Jacques', okay? And did any of you figure out the origin of Bruce's surname form last chapter?

Please keep reading and reviewing! See you next Friday!


	6. Knowing What He's Doing

Hi there, readers! I am sorry that this chapter is up so late. I meant to get it up on Friday but, due to a sudden increase in my workload, I just didn't get the time. But here it is!

Yes, this is a scene that deviates from the movie. Like I said, I wanted to change things up somewhat for this story. I am mostly following the movie but, here and there, I'm making a couple of changes. This chapter is a lot more easygoing that the previous chapters. I felt that we needed a break from all of the action. I also apologize that this chapter is shorter than usual. I'm real tired…So, here we go!

Disclaimer: I don't own any bit of Finding Nemo.

* * *

A small boy with messy red hair was in the distance…

_Nemo…_

The boy turns at the sound of the name.

_Nemo…_

The boy, Nemo…His Nemo, smiles at him. He is unaware of the dark figure directly behind him.

_Nemo!_

The child continues to smile as dark arms encircle him.

"NEMO!"

With that shout, Marlin sat up with a start, sweat covering his face and his breathing erratic. He looked around with wide eyes.

"Just a nightmare…" he whispered as he ran a hand through his hair, "…A nightmare that came to life…"

Marlin laid back on the bed, his hands covering his face. Nemo was somewhere out there, he didn't know where. Who knew what those men had done to his son? What if Nemo was hurt…or, God forbid, something worse happened to him? It would be all Marlin's fault, because he was idiotic enough to let his little boy go on that field trip…

Marlin thought such things for a few seconds longer before removing his hands from his face and blinking in confusion.

This wasn't his bed…This wasn't his room.

…This wasn't his _house_…

"Are you going to eat that?"

Marlin slowly turned his head in the direction of that sleep-filled mutter that came from beside him. There was no way…No possible way.

There, lying under the covers and sleep talking away, was Dory.

"Wah!" Marlin yelled as he scrambled back, only to fall off the edge of the bed and land hard on the wood floor, "Ow!"

"Hey, careful with that hammer," Dory mumbled before snoring a bit, unaware of Marlin's antics.

Marlin slowly got to his feet, rubbing his sore back. His eyes were locked on Dory's sleeping form. He had no idea how he ended up sharing a bed with her. The last thing he remembered was escaping from Bruce and an explosion…

"Did she drag me here?" Marlin asked himself.

"How'd that monkey get my money?" Dory murmured as Marlin walked over to the bedroom window and peered out.

It looked like Dory lived in an apartment complex in one of the lower income neighborhoods. Marlin looked this way and that, unable to make any guess as to where in New York he could possibly be.

Marlin looked back at Dory, who was mumbling unintelligibly as she turned to her side. This girl had gone and helped him out when no one else would. Sure, she had nearly gotten him killed at the hands of some deranged gangsters, but she still "helped". But he knew next to nothing about her.

With that, Marlin decided to take a quick look around the bedroom, not wanting to wake Dory from a peaceful sleep just yet. Nothing invasive, of course. He just wanted to see if the bedroom can tell him anything more about Dory.

The room was quite empty, save for a clock, the bed, and a dresser that had a few picture frames on it. Marlin looked at these few frames.

Most of them showed a man and a woman, a married couple, standing beside a familiar young lady with long black hair.

"Yes, I'm a natural blue…" Dory muttered from behind Marlin.

"Sure," Marlin said with a soft chuckle as he looked at the picture of a beaming, black haired Dory.

One picture on the dresser caught Marlin's attention. He picked it up and observed it closely. There was Dory, smiling widely and dressed in a gown. Beside her, dressed in full Army uniform, was a young man. He stood nearly a foot above Dory and had neat blonde hair and dark brown eyes. He too smiled, an arm around Dory's shoulders.

_Maybe he's her boyfriend…_Marlin wondered for a moment, before putting down the picture. _Why am I wondering about stuff like that?_

Marlin couldn't see anything else in the room that could tell him more about Dory. With a glance back at her sleeping figure, Marlin opened the bedroom door and headed out into the hallway.

* * *

After taking care of business as best as he could, considering he was in a stranger's home without anything but his wallet and his car keys, Marlin walked into the combination kitchen/living room of the small apartment. He needed to find a phone to use.

Marlin glanced around, noticing how this area of the apartment was even emptier than Dory's bedroom. He was truly surprised. From how bubbly and childlike she was, he had expected Dory to live somewhere colorful and…less dreary, for lack of a better term.

"Here we go," Marlin said when he saw a phone beside the refrigerator, which was covered in post-it notes reminding Dory of several tasks.

Marlin thought for a moment before dialing the number for Nemo's school. He knew he should probably contact the police by now, but Marlin needed to check in with Mr. Ray, who was probably worried sick after what happened the day before.

* * *

Mr. Ray sat behind his desk in an empty classroom. After talking with the principal, Mr. Ray had canceled classes for the next few days for his class. He knew they all needed to spend time with their own families following what happened at the Hall of Science. The only reason that Mr. Ray wasn't home himself, with his wife and their six month old son, was because he felt guilty.

He felt guilty that he had his family to go home to while he had watched Marlin Fischer's only family was kidnapped before his eyes.

It wasn't his fault, his coworkers had told him. He was keeping a good eye on all the kids. But there were so many of them, some more rowdy than others. None of the other trips he had taken his classes on over the years ended like yesterday's had.

"It's still my fault," Mr. Ray said in a low tone as he gazed about the quiet classroom.

"Greg?"

Mr. Ray turned his head towards the door, where one of the secretaries for the main office, Mrs. Weathers, was standing, looking at him cautiously. She was probably nervous about his bloodshot eyes and overall exhausted, sleep deprived appearance.

"What is it, Martha?" Mr. Ray asked her as he stood up.

"There's a call for you in the office," she responded.

"Martha, if it's the police, I-"

"It's Mr. Fischer."

With a short gasp, Mr. Ray raced to the main office. Mrs. Weathers directed him to one of the private rooms, where he took the call.

"Mr. Fischer," he said into the phone.

"Mr. Ray," Marlin said in return, "I wanted to check up on how you and the other kids were doing."

"The other children are staying at their homes for the next couple of days," Mr. Ray replied, "I'm in the school on…business…Mr. Fischer, I am so sorry about-"

"Don't," Marlin interrupted, "I'm the one to blame here. None of this would've happened if it wasn't for me. Listen, I better hang up and call the police. With everything else, I didn't get to report what happened."

"I took care of that yesterday, sir," Mr. Ray told him, "I told the police all about what happened, though I couldn't give them a good description of the kidnappers. I apologize for that."

"Hey, I'm running on the same bit of information here," Marlin said.

"You should head down to the police station, Mr. Fischer. They got suspicious when I told them you disappeared along with the van."

"They think I've got something to do with _my own son's_ kidnapping?" Marlin shouted, outraged.

"I managed to convince them otherwise, so don't you worry," Mr. Ray assured the angry father, "I'm saying that the police would probably like to talk with you."

"They'd probably make me stay home while they do all of the work," Marlin muttered, "I can't sit around and do nothing. This is my son we're talking about!"

"But-"

"Listen, I know one of the members of the missing persons unit," Marlin said, "He's a buddy of mine from back in high school. Just tell him that Marlin is being Marlin and he'll understand."

"I don't know about this…" Mr. Ray said nervously.

"If I find out any information that might be helpful, I'll call them as soon as I can," Marlin informed him.

"Fine," Mr. Ray sighed, "I do hope you know what you're doing, Mr. Fischer."

* * *

"So do I," Marlin mumbled after he had hung up the phone.

Marlin headed back to Dory's bedroom. He couldn't let her sleep for much longer. They had so much to do if they wanted to find Nemo.

"Dory," Marlin said softly as he shook Dory's shoulder. When she kept on snoring, he shook her shoulder a little harder and spoke louder, "Dory, wake up. C'mon, wake up."

She snored in replied, making Marlin feel rather frustrated.

"Wake up!" he said even louder than before.

He flew back as Dory bolted upright, yelling and speaking incoherently as she looked this way and that. Her eyes locked on him and she let out an ear shattering shriek.

"_Who are you_?" she asked in a panicked voice as she jumped out of bed. Marlin saw that she was wearing the same clothes from yesterday, meaning she must've gone straight to bed after bringing him to her apartment. He watched as she performed as a series of _very_ familiar martial arts movements, "I know karate, shorty!"

"You're only two inches taller," Marlin said, more to himself, before adding, "C'mon, Dory, it's me. Marlin. From yesterday?"

Dory stared blankly at him, holding herself in a crane position.

"With the gangsters?" Marlin went on.

Her face held no recollection. Marlin had an urge to slam his head against the wall.

"You're helping me find my son?"

Dory slowly relaxed her body as she furrowed her brow.

"…Your son is Dino, right?" she questioned as she took a couple steps forward.

"Nemo," Marlin corrected.

"Oh, right!" Dory exclaimed, a look of sudden realization coming across her face, "You're the comedian from that warehouse party!"

"Actually," Marlin started, "I'm a pharma-Wait, forget about that! Dory, we need to-"

"Time to seize the day!" Dory interrupted in a cheerful voice before heading out of the room, leaving Marlin staring after her.

* * *

"Dory, I don't think you understand how serious things are."

Dory didn't respond in the slightest, only placing a bowl of cereal in front of Marlin before pouring a bowl for herself.

"C'mon, Mr. Grumpy Pants," Dory said as she took a seat at her little table across from Marlin, "Can't seize the day with an empty stomach!"

Marlin sighed, knowing that there wasn't any way to get through to her. And, truth be told, she made a good point. How could he expect to search for Nemo properly if he fainted from hunger? Marlin ate a spoonful of cereal, only to cough on it.

"I think it's stale," he stated after spitting out the cereal into a napkin.

Dory took her own bite before spitting it out back into the bowl.

"Aw man!" she yelled as she stomped over to the refrigerator. She scanned it before pulling off one of the post-it notes and frowning at it, "I was supposed to go to the grocery store! I knew I was forgetting something!"

Marlin got up and opened up a few of the pantries. He found a box of pancake mix, the expiration date a month away.

"Do you have any milk and butter?" he asked.

* * *

"What the _hell_ do you mean by that?"

Sergeant Samuel Walker found it promising on his part that he didn't flinch as the chief of police shouted at him.

"Exactly what I said, chief," Samuel said calmly, "Greg Ray came to the station a few minutes ago and said that Marlin Fischer is going to be looking for his son, like we are. He's just…not looking _with_ us."

"Damn it," the chief growled, "Does he know how difficult it makes things when we're dealing with missing persons cases and the family decides to do whatever the hell they want?"

"Sir, I know Marlin-I mean, Mr. Fischer," Samuel corrected himself, trying to stay professional, "He may not be the same guy he was in high school, but he won't case trouble. And he'll definitely contact us if he gets any new information. Let's do our part on the case, and he'll do his."

"Samuel, I'm telling you-"

"Dad," Samuel interrupted, "Let Marlin be. You know how he's like since Coral died…"

Chief Arvin Walker pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a deep sigh. Memories of Marlin, the Marlin that always came over to his house to hang out with Samuel, the Marlin who looked so happy to marry Coral Wood, the Marlin who was over the moon after learning he was going to be a father, went through his head. He looked up at his son.

"Fine," he said resignedly, "...Let's just find that boy of his, Samuel."

"Yes, sir," Samuel responded with a smile.

* * *

In about an hour, Marlin made a stack of fluffy pancakes for the two of them. He couldn't help but grin at Dory's exclamations of "So good!" and "I wish I could cook like this!" He also couldn't help but grimace at her inability to keep her mouth closed while chewing.

"So, who are you again?" Dory asked him.

"I'm Marlin," he sighed, "Marlin Fischer."

"Oh, well I'm Dory Poole," she replied, "Nice to meet you!"

Marlin could only nod in response, taking a few stabs at his pancakes.

"You know," Dory said after a big swallow, "Ladies like a man who can cook."

"Ah, yeah, I've heard," Marlin replied embarrassedly, "Well, let's hurry with this and go find my son."

"Right, your son, Gringo."

"Nemo."

"You don't look old enough to be a dad," Dory told him.

"Hey, I'm twenty eight years old," Marlin responded, before adding, "Aren't _you_ a bit too young to be living all by yourself?"

"Sure," Dory laughed, "If twenty five is too young."

Marlin, who had taken a sip of the coffee he had made, choked on that. He stared at a confused Dory with shock.

"You're twenty five?" he asked in disbelief, "You look like a teenager!"

"I get that a lot," Dory said with a roll of her eyes, "Wish I could remember from who…"

"Well," Marlin started after he got over the surprise, "Still, are you fine living by yourself…I mean, with the short-term memory loss."

He noticed that Dory's shoulders slumped a little at that.

"Well, living with someone who's memory's as bad as mine gets tiresome," she said softly, "Even if that someone is your daughter…"

Marlin didn't say anything further as Dory ate on in silence. He thought of the pictures of the smiling man and woman with Dory in her room. He was appalled…Sure, Dory had caused him unnecessary trouble yesterday, but he could see that she had her heart in the right place.

And for _her_ _own parents_ to get tired of her…

"Oh!" Dory exclaimed suddenly, startling Marlin, "Now I remember who always thought I was a teenager!"

"Do you now?" Marlin replied, deciding to humor her.

"Yup! My bosses! Every single time, they think I'm some little kid."

"You have a lot of bosses?" Marlin asked based on her statement.

"Well, I work freelance," she explained, "The pay's not the best but I like it!"

Marlin felt a pang, remembering his old dream, the one that he had wanted for so long.

_Enough…_he thought firmly. _That's in the past now._

"So, what's your job?" Marlin asked aloud.

"Umm…" Dory began before snapping her fingers, "Right! I'm a Russian-English translator!"

"Oh, that's ni-WAIT!"

Marlin shot up out of his chair and checked his jeans' pockets frantically. He kept muttering "Oh no" under his breath over and over when he only felt his wallet and car keys.

"Dory…" Marlin started, trying not to sound out of his mind, "What happened to the paper?"

"What paper?" Dory asked obliviously.

"The paper, Dory!" Marlin said loudly, letting his panic come through, "The paper with the Russian writing on it! _Where is it_?"

"I dunno," Dory replied with a shrug, "Oh, but I think I saw a piece of paper come out of your pocket when I was dragging you out of that neighborhood."

"And?" Marlin pressed on.

"I picked it up!" she stated, making Marlin sigh in relief…until, "Oh, but when I flagged down the taxi to take us to my apartment, the wind took it out of my hand…Was it important?"

"_Oh, for the love of God_!"

* * *

Done! Nice and easygoing. And we get to learn a little more about my version of human Dory.

For those of you who are curious as to whether or not Sergeant Samuel Walker of the Missing Persons Unit and Chief Arvin Walker are going to be regulars in this series…even I don't know for sure. I haven't figured out everything about this story yet. I know one other scene they're going to be in. But, we'll see if they show up more often.

Well, please keep reading and reviewing and I'll see you in the next chapter!


	7. The Search For The Paper

Hello, everybody! So sorry for being so late with this update. I had finals and a few other things to take care of. But I finally have free time for a few weeks, so I can update more often.

Well! This is chapter seven, but we're only about half an hour into the movie…I wonder if I'll finish this story before my break is over? Maybe not…Perhaps it'll be done by something in February, or March at the latest. I hope you all stick around until the end!

Now, I borrowed somewhat heavily from Ronnie343's story for this chapter too. By the way, she updated "His Little Boy", so check out the next chapter!

Disclaimer: Finding Nemo does not belong to me at all, everyone.

* * *

"The wheels on the bus go round and round! Round and round! Round and round! The wheels on the bus-"

"_Would you quit singing_?" Marlin hissed as the other passengers on the bus sent glares at him and Dory, mostly Dory.

"My, you must be some life of the party, huh?" Dory responded sarcastically, "Don't you have your own car?"

"I told you before, Dory," Marlin said slowly, "I left my car back at the Hall of Science. They've probably towed it by now…"

"Aw, too bad," Dory said in a comforting tone, "Did you need that car for something?"

Marlin shot Dory a look but chose not to respond to the innocent statement. Why was he still letting her come with him? Her short-term memory loss would be one hell of a hindrance on this blasted trip…

_She can translate Russian…_Marlin reminded himself as Dory decided to sing the great hits of Stevie Wonder, much to the other passengers' annoyance. _I just need her to tell me what was written on that paper and she'll be out of my hair…_

After several minutes, the bus came to a stop near the neighborhood where Marlin and Dory had narrowly escaped Bruce. Marlin gulped once before he disembarked, Dory, who was humming brightly, right behind him. As the bus pulled away, Marlin could have sworn he heard cheering from the passengers…

"Well, now what?" Dory asked as she looked down at Marlin.

"Now, we try to figure out where that paper could have gone," Marlin answered. He turned to face Dory, putting his hands on her shoulders and looking at her face, "Dory, I need you to concentrate. Where did you last see the paper?"

"What paper?" Dory asked obliviously.

Marlin bit back a harsh remark, instead trying to go about this patiently.

"What paper do you think I mean?" he asked her.

Dory furrowed her brow and bit her lip, looking deep in concentration. After a few moments, Marlin was starting to lose all hope when Dory's face lit up.

"Oh, wait!" she exclaimed, "Um, I think the paper was flying towards…that building!"

Marlin followed the point of her finger. In the distance, many, many blocks from where they were, was a dark red building, surrounded by a few other rectangular buildings.

"Of course it's all the way over there…" Marlin groaned.

* * *

An hour…One full hour…That's how long it took the pair to finally reach that stupid red building where Dory swore she last saw the paper. Marlin was panting heavily by the time they reached the area. He leaned against a building, enjoying the cool sensation on his skin. Meanwhile, Dory was skipping about, a bit of sweat on her face and her cheeks somewhat pink, but otherwise unfazed by the long speed walk.

"I need…to get…in shape…" Marlin panted.

"Nonsense!" Dory disagreed, "You're practically a stick, Martin!"

"Marlin…"

"Right!"

After taking a few deep breaths, Marlin stepped away from the building and started to look around for any sign of that piece of paper, the one and only clue he had to finding Nemo. Dory quickly mirrored his actions, though she spent a lot of time getting distracted by interesting things that others had dumped in the alleyways.

"Wow, this is pretty shiny!" she exclaimed as she picked up some oddly shaped object that was sparkling from the sunlight.

"Dory, _focus_!" Marlin scolded, "We need to find that-"

Marlin's voice cut off when he saw it, laying there just a few yards away…A piece of paper…But was it _his_ piece of paper?

He sprinted towards the paper when he felt a slight breeze in the air. It was not going to escape from him yet again! He snatched the paper as it had begun to dance upon the wind.

"YES!" Marlin shouted when he looked and saw those familiar symbols and the logo on the paper, "Dory, I found it!"

"Great!" Dory replied with a grin, "Found what?"

Marlin didn't have it in him to feel irritated at her, only feeling happiness that his chance at finding his son had increased.

"Alright, Dory," Marlin said with renewed energy as he held out the paper to her, "I need you to tell me what that writing says."

"Gotcha!" Dory said as she took the paper in her hands and looked it over, "Ooh, look how funny these symbols are. This is why I like Russian! The words look like-"

"Dory!" Marlin shouted.

"Okay!" Dory responded, "Geez, sorry, Mr. Grumpy Pants…Now, let's see…"

Before Dory read off the first few words on the paper, she saw something out of the corner of her eye.

"Hey, look, how neat!" she exclaimed as she walked towards it, her grip on the paper loosening as the wind picked up.

"Dory, no, the paper!" Marlin yelled too late.

The paper slipped out of Dory's grasp, not that she noticed much, and floated away. Marlin chased after it, reaching up and jumping as the wind carried it just out of his reach. He shouted at the paper to stop and come back, fully aware that it was silly to believe it would listen to him. But he was a desperate father, and his one chance at rescuing Nemo was flying out of his reach.

"No, come back!" he yelled, only to come to a stop.

The wind died down and the paper slowly floated back to earth. The reason that Marlin wasn't going after the paper was because it had landed somewhere in a darkened alleyway. The alleyway was giving off a dangerous aura, an aura that made Marlin take a couple steps back, staring at it nervously. Dory came up to him, unaware of the problem she caused.

"Check it out!" she exclaimed, holding out what she had found, "It's an origami swan. Now who would throw away such a cute little thing? …What're you doing?"

"It's gone…" Marlin groaned, his hands gripping his hair, "I've lost the paper…"

"What, you drop it?" Dory asked.

"_You_ dropped it!" Marlin yelled angrily, adding more solemnly, "That was my only chance of finding my son, and now it's gone!"

Dory glanced over at the darkened alleyway and then looked back at Marlin. She grinned a little before putting her face just in front of his, much to his discomfort.

"Hey there, Mr. Grumpy Pants," she said in a baby tone, "When life gets you down, you know what you gotta do?"

"I don't wanna know what I gotta do," Marlin replied as he took a step away from her.

Dory paid this statement no heed, instead choosing to clear her voice and start singing, much to Marlin's disbelief.

"Keep moving forward, keep moving forward! Keep moving forward, forward, forward. What do we do? We go forth!"

"Dory, no singing," Marlin grumbled as Dory took him by the wrist and pulled him towards the alleyway, only for Dory to start singing more operatically.

"We keep on going!" she sung on, somewhat badly at this point.

"Dory…" Marlin said as the pair walked through the darkness.

"When there're troubles ahead~"

"Dory, don't-"

"You keep your head held high and-"

"I'm gonna get stuck with that song!" Marlin shouted before realizing, "Ah! Now it's in my head!"

"Sorry," Dory stated sheepishly as the two were fully engulfed by the darkened alley, unable to see each other at all.

After a few moments of silence…

"Dory, do you see anything?" Marlin asked.

"Ahh!" she screamed, "Something's got me!"

"That was me!" he told her as he released his wrist from her grip, "I'm sorry."

"Who's that?" she asked in a childlike tone.

"'Who's that'?" Marlin repeated as they walked through the dark, "Who else could it be, it's _me_!"

"Are…Are you my conscience?" Dory inquired.

Marlin was fighting a strong impulse to just turn around and leave Dory in the alley. But, unfortunately, he was too decent a guy to do that…

"Yeah, I'm your conscience," Marlin said in a mysterious tone, "We haven't spoken for a while. How are you?"

"Can't complain," Dory replied.

"Lucky you," Marlin mumbled, adding more loudly, "Now, Dory, do you see anything?"

It was quiet for a minute, so quiet that Marlin thought that he had somehow lost Dory as they were walking through the alleyway, which was slowly becoming brighter as they approached the opposite end. As he opened his mouth to say something, Dory spoke.

"No, but I hear something."

Marlin was about to ask what she meant when a noise interrupted him. It was small and faint, but he had definitely heard something.

…A yip…

"Hey, conscience, am I going insane?" Dory asked in a tone that was unusually calm for someone questioning her mental health.

"No, I hear it too," Marlin said as the yipping got louder.

As the pair finally stepped into the light, they were greeted by a very adorable sight…A small German Shepherd puppy chewing on some unseen object.

"Oh my God, how cute!" Dory squealed as she rushed forward and scooped up the little creature in her arms, holding it close as it yipped a little louder and licked her hand.

"Dory, it could have rabies," Marlin warned as he stepped close to her and observed the puppy.

"Aw, he's such a little sweetie, isn't he?" she cooed.

Marlin made the mistake of looking at the puppy's big brown eyes. He felt the corners of his lips slowly turn upward and he reached a hand out to the puppy, slowly petting it.

"Well, he _is_ pretty cute," he admitted, all thoughts of the paper leaving his mind.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Dory asked playfully as the puppy began to squirm in her arms.

"Who's a good boy?" Marlin asked in a childish tone as the puppy started to lick his hand.

"He's a good boy, of course!" Dory said happily.

"He is, isn't he?" Marlin stated, feeling happy for the first time in days. It was a wonderfully good feeling, "Yes, he is! _Yes, he is_! _Yes, he_-Good feeling's gone."

Dory followed Marlin's gaze and her eyes widened. Just a few feet away from them, growling viciously and locking its eyes on the pair, was a _very_ big German Shepherd.

Marlin and Dory both screamed in terror before racing back the way they came, the adult dog letting out a series of loud barks as it ran after them.

Marlin and Dory ran faster than they had ever done so before, making sharp turns and zigzagging here and there in an effort to escape the furious hellhound. A small yip caught Marlin's attention, despite his fear, and he looked at Dory's arms…She was carrying the puppy.

Marlin put two and two together.

"Dory, drop the puppy!" he ordered as the pair made another sharp turn.

"_What_?" Dory shouted, "We're going to _abandon_ the poor baby?"

"No, Dory, don't you see? That demon dog is his mother!"

Dory glanced over her shoulder at the canine and then looked at the puppy. Her eyes widened with realization.

"Oh, did we take you from your mommy?" Dory asked the puppy in a baby voice.

"Put him down, Dory!" Marlin yelled.

As Dory nodded and was about to drop the puppy, trying to figure out how to do so safely while she and Marlin ran for their lives, Marlin noticed something that the puppy was chewing on…A piece of paper…

A piece of paper with a very familiar logo…

Before Dory gently dropped the puppy, Marlin reached out and snatched the paper from the puppy's mouth. The pair kept running a little farther before seeing that the mother dog had stopped chasing them. As they came to a halt, breathing heavily and sweating up a storm, Marlin glanced over at the two canines.

The puppy was whining sadly, looking at the drool drenched paper in Marlin's hand. His mother licked her baby affectionately before growling once more at the two humans. Marlin started to take a few steps back, reaching out and grabbing Dory's hand.

"Run," he whispered.

"But, we gave her back her baby," Dory insisted.

"Dory…" Marlin said warningly as the mother dog began to bark angrily once more, "RUN!"

The two humans let out loud shrieks again as the chase recommenced, the mother dog gaining on the pair and the puppy trying to keep up with all of his might.

"Dory, here, read it!" Marlin yelled as he forced the paper into her hands.

"You want me to read and run for my life at the same time?" Dory retorted.

Marlin groaned, knowing she had a point. As the two ran this way and that, Marlin looked down a nearby alleyway and saw his solution.

There was an alleyway that led to a dead end. A chain-link fence blocked this alley and the fence had a sliding door on it…An unlocked sliding door.

"I have a plan," he muttered.

Before Dory could ask him what he was planning, Marlin put his plan into action. A plan so utterly stupid and reckless that he briefly wondered if he was channeling his teenage self.

He grabbed Dory and opened the door on the fence. He swiftly pushed Dory inside and shut the door behind her. Just then, the mother dog came barreling towards him.

"Read, Dory, I'll distract her!" he told her as he took off, the mother dog following him as he had hoped.

"I'm sorry!" Dory shouted over the noise of Marlin running around and the dog barking, "Could you guys keep it down? I can't concentrate with all this racket!"

Marlin noticed a ball lying on the ground, beaten and forgotten. He grabbed it and tossed it at the dog, who caught it in her jaws.

"Thank you!" Dory said appreciatively as she looked at the paper.

The puppy had done quite a number on the paper. There were holes all over it and it was drenched in drool. Some of the words were hard to see.

"Whoops!" Dory said as the wet paper broke in two in her hands.

"Dory, read already!" Marlin shouted as he ran around in circles and figure eights.

"Okay, okay," Dory said, "Mr. Bossy, sheesh!"

Dory started to mumble to herself as she slowly deciphered the smudged lettering on the two halves of the paper, Marlin's panicked screams, the mother dog's furious barks, and the puppy's excited yips in the background. After a few moments…

"Okay, the first sentence says, 'Remember that building from your previous assignment?'" Dory told the redhead.

"What the hell does _that_ mean?" Marlin yelled, "Keep going!"

As Dory went back to translating the remaining words on the first half of the paper, Marlin used all the upper body strength he had to pull himself on top of a dumpster. The dog was unable to follow him up there, but was trying her hardest to do so anyway.

"The second sentence says, 'We'll be staying there from now on'!" Dory shouted.

"That still doesn't make any sense!" Marlin replied as he reached into the dumpster and pulled out a long piece of wood. He thrust it at the dog, trying to push her back, "Back! Get back! Bad girl, you're a bad girl!"

"_Excuse me_?" Dory said indignantly, a hand on her hip, "After everything I'm doing-"

"Not you, Dory!"

"Not me, what?"

"READ!"

Dory flinched at Marlin's tone before she set her eyes on the second half of the paper, which was considerably less smudged.

"Okay, I think I got it!" she exclaimed.

Marlin couldn't take it any longer. He jumped off the dumpster, wincing momentarily from the landing before racing towards where he had made Dory stay, the dog right behind him. He slid open the door and grabbed one of the halves of the paper, crumpled it up, and threw it at the mother dog and her son.

"Here, you can have it!" he yelled before pushing Dory behind him, just in case.

The mother dog came to a halt as the puppy went over to the crumpled paper. He sniffed it once before happily taking it in his mouth and walking off. The mother dog followed her son, but Marlin could have sworn that she glared at him before heading off.

As soon as the canines were out of sight, Marlin's fear caught up with him. His legs wobbled before he fell to his knees, his body shaking.

"I almost died, I almost died," he repeated. But then he realized something, "I _almost_ died. I almost died, but I didn't."

He hopped back on his feet, filled with sudden energy.

"I didn't die!" he cried gleefully.

Dory was about to ask Marlin why he was so happy when he suddenly turned around and hugged her, laughing aloud.

"We're alive, Dory!" he exclaimed, letting her go after a moment, "We did it!"

"Y-yeah," Dory answered, sounding a bit flustered by the hug.

"So, what did the paper say?" Marlin asked, running a hand through his hair.

"'Remember that building from your previous assignment? We'll be staying there from now on. The Capital of Silicon Valley'," Dory said casually. Dory clapped her hands over her mouth as she gasped. Marlin was surprised when she suddenly placed her hands on either side of his face, "I remembered what it said! I usually forget things, but I remembered it that time!"

Marlin let out a slight chuckle by how completely and totally happy Dory was by remembering the words on the paper.

"That's great," Marlin told her, "But where's the Capital of Silicon Valley?"

"I don't know," Dory responded with a shrug, before adding excitedly, "But who cares? I remembered!"

As Dory laughed and started skipping around, Marlin was deep in thought. The Capital of Silicon Valley…He felt like he had heard that phrase before…But where?

"We need a computer," he whispered, "C'mon, Dory, I think I saw a library a few blocks back."

Dory trailed after him, still repeating the words from the paper over and over, getting more gleeful each time over the fact that she remembered. In her hand was the other half of the paper. She pocketed it without a second thought as the two tired adults headed off to a library, one step closer to finding Nemo.

* * *

And the chapter's done! Man, I'm tired. So, as you can see, I changed things up somewhat and I borrowed a bit from the other story, but it's mostly original. I hope you liked it! By the way, a quick Google search of the Capital of Silicon Valley will get you the answer to where in California Nemo is being held.

Alright, next chapter, we're back to hanging out with Nemo and the Tank Gang!

Please read and review! Thank you!


	8. Sharkbait

Hello there, everyone! Merry Christmas to you all! My present to you guys, my dear readers, is the next chapter of this story! Not the best present in the world, but still decent, right?

I received a nice Christmas haul this year. A gift card for _Barnes & Noble_, a gift card for _Amazon_, a copy of the book _Les Misérables_, and a copy of the book _America Again: Re-becoming the Greatness We Never Weren't_.

Anyways, happy holidays to everyone from Willow!

Disclaimer: I don't own Finding Nemo…although that would make a nice Christmas present…

* * *

The stuffed shark toy let out a squeak when Nemo squeezed it. He had been clutching the toy for practically the whole day, still a bit too nervous to talk to any of the older kids. There were a few plates stacked on the table, dinner having been served just a few minutes earlier. Nemo, not realizing just how hungry he was, had gulped down his meal in record time, much to the amusement of the older kids. Now everyone was just trying to pass the time.

Peach and Bloat were playing chess over in one corner, Peach having won nine of the twelve games so far. Bubbles was playing with that toy treasure chest that would release his namesake every couple minutes. Deb kept talking to her reflection in the handheld mirror…Nemo still didn't understand why she named it "Flo". Jacques was in the process of scrubbing down part of the floor and Gurgle was on a beanbag chair, quietly listening to music from an old fashioned radio.

Gill was lounging on the couch, his eyes firmly fixed on the ceiling, a large toy truck in his hands. Nemo would sometimes spot Gill glancing in his direction for a few seconds, only to turn his gaze back to the ceiling, and occasionally to the truck. Nemo was very interested in the older boy, but he was still scared to talk to him. In fact, the only one of the teens he honestly had any sort of conversation with was Peach, because there was something sisterly about her.

As Nemo tried to work up the courage to talk to one of the others, he let out a loud yawn. It was half past eight, getting near his bedtime, and he _really_ had to go to the bathroom. He had remembered Sherman's rule of only two bathroom breaks a day, and he had already used both earlier. But he didn't think he could hold it in much longer.

"Cute dance, Nemo," Gurgle commented when he saw the small boy hopping from one foot to the next.

"He has to go to the bathroom, moron," Bloat stated, "Though who knows if they'll let him…"

"Oh, c'mon, it's his first day!" Deb said, "Sherman is a terrible monster, but he always goes easy on bathroom breaks for first timers, right, Flo?"

Peach looked out the window, spotting Sherman and a couple of his guards heading their way. She let out a short whistle as a signal to the others. Nemo noticed that the others didn't move from their spots, but instead they became more alert. Nemo backed away as the door opened and Sherman stepped inside, a sly grin on his face.

"So, have you been enjoying your stay, ginger?" Sherman asked Nemo, who clutched the shark toy tighter, "You're practically dancing with joy."

"He needs to go to the bathroom," Peach told him.

"He does, does he?" Sherman replied, eyeing Nemo, "Well, the rules are only two breaks a day."

"I really need to go!" Nemo said, hopping a little faster to take his mind off of his discomfort.

"This is why I told you not to drink so much, kid," Sherman sighed. He turned to one of the guards who were holding the door open, "Take the kid to the bathroom. In fact, make him take a bath. He reeks."

Nemo couldn't help but sniff his armpit before the guard grabbed him by the arm and led him out of the room, causing him to drop the shark toy and leaving Sherman and another guard alone with the other kids.

* * *

"So, are you lot going to take part in your cute little newbie ritual?" Sherman asked them.

The teens remained silent, trying to avoid eye contact with Sherman. He chuckled at their attitude.

"Fine, fine…Not like it'll change anything. Will it?"

He directed that last part at Gill, who sent him a quick glare before staring at the ceiling again. Sherman shook his head, amused as usual at this group of teens, who had been around longer than any other kid he had taken. Once he and the other guard left the room, the gang let out small sighs of relief.

"I wanna punch him," Bubbles murmured before getting distracted by a stream of bubbles coming from the chest.

"Jacques, watch your language," Peach warned as Jacques had begun to softly curse, "Well, Gill?"

Gill smirked as he stood up and strode over to the toy chest. He started to pull out a few things.

"Places, people," he said, "It's showtime."

* * *

Nemo sighed as he put his clothes back on. It had been kind of hard for him to take a bath. The water was pretty cold and when he had asked the guard for help reaching the soap and shampoo, both of which were out of reach, the guard didn't understand him. And Nemo didn't know anything about Russia, except that it was a very big country…So it was quick, cold bath for Nemo before he dried himself off on a scratchy towel.

As Nemo put his clothes on, he couldn't help but think of his dad, especially when he saw Nemo's name stitched on every article of clothing he had. His dad had always had a hard time accepting that Nemo was perfectly capable of dressing himself, despite having a disfigured hand. His dad would always check on him, asking him if he needed any assistance every few seconds…It had always annoyed Nemo…

…But now, he'd give anything to hear his dad ask him if he needed help.

"…He won't come," Nemo mumbled to himself as he pulled on his sweatshirt, "He's afraid of everything."

With that, Nemo left the cold and tiny bathroom and the guard led him back to the "playroom". Nemo was surprised when he saw that the lights in the playroom were off. He briefly wondered if everyone else was taken to their bedrooms, but he was _sure_ it wasn't ten yet.

Nemo was doubly confused when the guard opened the door and Jacques was standing right there. Jacques had two black paint lines on both of his cheeks. He wore a headdress made of leaves and pinecones.

"Nemo," Jacques greeted with a nod before turning around and starting to walk off, "Suivez-moi."

Nemo just stood still for a second before Jacques marched back to the doorway.

"Follow me," he said.

The guard gave Nemo a shove into the room before shutting the door behind him. Nemo glanced in the direction Jacques was walking and his jaw dropped.

The couch, chairs, tables, and the like were pushed against the walls. There were toy torches that gave off a soft orange glow crudely taped to the walls. Tiki figures of varying sizes lined up to create a path. This path led to a horizontal line of toy treasure chests in the middle of the room.

Jacques stood on one end of the line of treasure chests. Peach and Deb were standing on either end of the beginning of the path, each holding a sheet, Deb's mirror tucked into her belt. The girls were wearing black paint lines on their faces as well, their headdresses made of autumn colored leaves and plastic berries.

Nemo cautiously began to walk down the path, briefly thinking that he had somehow fallen asleep while taking a bath and was in some really odd dream. Peach and Deb both draped their sheets over Nemo before pulling them off swiftly, messing up Nemo's hair. As he patted down his hair, Peach and Deb followed Nemo down the path. He became even more puzzled when he heard some kind of chanting.

Nemo let out a gasp and took a step back when the source of the chanting was revealed. Bubbles, Bloat, and Gurgle, only recognizable because of their clothes, came out from behind various pieces of furniture, all three of them chanting ominously. They wore different, scary masks over their faces and lined up behind the line of treasure chests, on the opposite side that Nemo and the girls were on.

As the chanting grew more intense, Nemo noticed Gill leaning against the wall behind the treasure chests, his arms crossed in front of him. He had three black paint lines on each cheek and a more elaborate headdress made of leaves of varying colors, acorns, and berries.

As Gill slowly took a few steps closer to the line of treasure chests, Bubbles, Bloat, and Gurgle continued their chanting and took their places in a row behind him. Gill snapped his fingers and the boys ended their chant. Nemo glanced around nervously as silence took the place of the chanting. He didn't have a single idea what was going on…

"State your name," Gill told Nemo.

"Umm," Nemo began apprehensively, "I-I'm Nemo Fischer."

Gill nodded a bit before motioning Bloat forward.

"Brother Bloat, proceed," he said as he took Bloat's place.

Bloat stood where Gill had and lifted his mask. He cleared his throat before looking down at Nemo, who couldn't help but gulp.

"Nemo!" Bloat began, causing Nemo to jump at the sudden and loud voice, "Newcomer from the house of Queens in the land of York! You have been called forth to the summit of Mount Wannahockaloogie to join with us in the everlasting bonds of brotherhood…"

"…_Huh_?" was all Nemo could say in response.

"We want you in our club, kid," Peach explained softly.

"Really?" Nemo asked in delighted surprise.

"You bet," Bloat said in his regular voice. Bubbles hit him on the back, causing him to get back in character, "I mean, _if_ you are able to pass through…The Wall…of _FIRE_!"

Bloat raised his hands dramatically…

After a few seconds of silence and nothing happening, Nemo glanced this way and that, looking for this so-called "Wall of Fire". He could see Gill face palming in the background while Bubbles and Gurgle lifted their masks to figure out what was the hold up.

"_Turn on the Wall of Fire_," Bloat hissed through the side of his mouth, "_The Wall of Fire_!"

Jacques who had been casually wiping off his shoes as the ritual took place noticed Bloat staring at him. He laughed sheepishly before hurrying down the line of chests and opening their lids.

"You said you could do this!" Bloat said angrily as streams of bubbles spewed from the chests, forming a wall of bubbles before Bloat, "_The Wall of Fire_!"

Bloat stepped back into his place in the row while Gill resumed his place on the other side of the Wall of Fire. Bloat and Gurgle put their masks back on and restarted their chant, Jacques joining in this time around.

"Bubbles…" Bubbles said in a dazed tone, stepping forward, only for Deb to smack the back of his head, causing him to put his mask on and chant like he was supposed to.

Nemo looked over his shoulder at Peach and Deb. Deb was actually covering her eyes with one hand, the other hand covering her mirror. Peach smiled at him gently and motioned with her hand for him to go on. Nemo then looked through the wall at Gill, who was giving him a crooked smirk. He shrugged his shoulder, as if telling Nemo that there's no harm in just doing it.

Nemo let out a breath before jumping over the line of treasure chests with ease. He jumped a bit too far, smacking into Gill, who caught the small boy to steady him. Jacques turned off the Wall of Fire and the chanting came to a halt once more. Peach and Deb walked over to the other side and joined the row with the other boys.

Nemo looked up at Gill with a grin. The older boy ruffled the redhead's hair before lifting Nemo up and putting him on his shoulders, a feat that surprised Nemo, since he thought Gill couldn't do this with one hand missing. Nemo laughed as Gill turned around to face the others.

"From this moment on, you will now be known as Sharkbait!" Gill declared.

"Sharkbait, ooh-ha-ha!" Bubbles, Bloat, and Gurgle chanted.

"Welcome, Brother Sharkbait!"

"Sharkbait, ooh-ha-ha!"

"Enough with the 'Sharkbait'," Gill groaned.

"Sharkbait, ooh…ba-ba-doo…" Gurgle trailed off when the other stared at him.

"Okay, guys," Gill began as he took Nemo off his shoulders and put him down on the ground, "Sharkbait's one of us now, agreed?"

"Agreed," the others said simultaneously.

"Now, we can't send him off to…" Gill cut himself off when he saw Nemo staring up at him with those wide eyes, "…Well…_you know_…It's Saturday; Darla's gonna be here on Friday. So, what're we going to do?"

Nemo shuddered at the mention of the Darla woman who was supposed to get him. He still didn't understand why Darla wanted him, but Nemo could tell, just from what the others said and from how hard they were trying to avoid saying the actual thing that it would be nothing good in the slightest.

Peach tapped her foot and looked at Gill expectantly while the others muttered amongst themselves.

"Alright, I'll tell you what we're gonna do," Gill continued, "We're gonna get him out of here. We'll help him escape!"

"Escape?" Nemo gasped, "Really?"

Gill put a hand on Nemo's shoulder and looked at everyone else with a determined expression.

"We're _all_ going to escape," he said.

To Nemo surprise, the others all groaned and rolled their eyes. Peach and Deb dropped their sheets and headdresses on the floor. Peach went over to the light switch and turned the main lights back on while Deb went around turning off the torches. The other boys also removed their headdresses, and masks in the case of Bubbles, Bloat, and Gurgle, and Jacques passed around wipes so that everyone could remove their face paint.

"Well, don't sound _too_ excited, guys," Gill said sarcastically as he too removed his headdress and he accepted a wipe from Jacques.

"Gill, please," Gurgle groaned, "Not _another_ one of your escape plans."

"Sorry, but they never work," Deb stated.

"They really don't, Gill," Peach agreed.

"And they hurt," Bubbles said.

"I still have bruises from last time," Jacques added, rubbing his back, "Mon Dieu, they're still sore!"

"Yeah, why should this be any different?" Bloat asked.

"Simple," Gill said, patting the top of Nemo's head, "Cause we've got him!"

"Me?" Nemo asked in disbelief.

"You see that window up there?"

Nemo looked up and saw that small window that was out of everyone's reach in the room.

"Yeah," Nemo said with a nod.

"That's the only unblocked way out of this place," Gill explained, "The only reason everyone kept getting hurt before was because our previous plans-"

"_Your_ previous plans," Peach corrected.

"_My_ previous plans involved us forcing our way out when the guards came around," Gill said, sending a look at Peach, "I always had an idea involving that window, but none of us are small enough to fit through it…But _you_ are, kid."

Nemo nodded in agreement. He could tell that, if he sucked in his gut a little, he could definitely fit through that window.

"It's a bit complex, but here's the gist of the plan," Gill continued, "You go on my shoulders and I go on Bloat's. That'll make us tall enough for you to reach the window. You'll be carrying this when you get up there."

Gill picked up a large toy truck, the same truck he was holding earlier, to which several sheets were tightly tied, creating a makeshift rope.

"When you slip through the window, grab on tight to the sheet," Gill continued, "The truck won't slip through the window. You'll be able to get to the ground safely."

"The Board of Certified Safety Professionals applauds you, Gill," Gurgle remarked sarcastically.

"Can I finish speaking here?" Gill asked, glaring at the others. They all motioned for him to go on, "Like I was saying, keep a good grip and you'll hit the ground safely. Then, follow the wall until you reach the back of the building. As soon as you hit the corner, there'll be a set of stairs going down-"

"But, how do I get there without Sherman and the guards seeing me?" Nemo interrupted.

"Kid, they keep any exit in the whole building locked at all times, and they don't expect any of us to think about that window," Gill stated, "Meaning they don't have any guards set up around the place. Anyone who works for Sherman hangs out in that other room with him, behind a closed door. It's where they plan out future kidnappings…Anyways, you go down those stairs and you'll reach a door."

Gill walked over to the bunch of sheets that was on top of the hole that Nemo had almost fallen through, carrying the toy truck with the sheets. He looked over at Bubbles, who looked out the front window and nodded. Gill pulled back the sheets. Bloat went over and helped him remove the loose floorboards, revealing the hole.

Nemo kneeled down beside Gill, who pointed at a pipe connected to the floorboard just beside the hole. Nemo saw that there was a bundle tied to the pipe. Gill untied the bundle and set it between him and Nemo. The bundle only held a small bronze key, which Gill held up.

"Swiped this from one of the guards back when I was a newbie," Gill told the younger boy, "Things were a bit different back then, so no one ever suspected me. They just thought they lost the key somewhere. This is the key that will unlock the door you find at the bottom of those stairs. The door leads to the basement."

"Why don't we go down this hole and unlock the door?" Nemo wondered.

"The lock's on the outside," Gill answered before continuing with his explanation, "After you've unlocked the door, the rest of us will head down into the basement and head out the door."

Gill put the key in the inside pocket of his blazer, stating that it would be easier now for him to just carry it around, that the guards didn't know of its existence, so it wouldn't be found. He placed the truck and sheets in the bundle and retied it to the pipe. He and Bloat quickly replaced the floorboards and recovered the area with the sheets.

"Then what?" Nemo asked Gill, "When we head out the door, there's still a huge fence surrounding the building. We can't climb it and it can only be opened by a code."

"There's no climbing involved," Gill said with a chuckle, "See, once we head out the door, we have to get to the fence. Over in the corner, there's a hatch, probably built decades ago. It's unlocked too. We open the hatch and there's a tunnel. The tunnel is small and it'll seem like it goes on forever, but it leads to an opening in the field beside the city train station. Sherman and his cronies know of the hatch, but they don't know that _we_ know of it…It's foolproof!"

"Also, complex and insane," Bloat added.

"And dangerous," Bubbles pointed out.

"Yeah, it is," Gill admitted, "But it's the best we've got at the moment. And I _know_ it'll work! So, who's with me?"

The others looked at each other nervously. After a few seconds, Bloat sighed and raised his hand.

"I," he said.

"Moi, aussi," Jacques stated with a raise of his hand.

"Ooh, me too!" Deb exclaimed.

"I!" Bubbles said happily.

"I guess you'll have to count me in too," Peach chuckled.

"I think you're nuts," Gurgle told Gill, who rolled his eyes at him, "No offense, kid, but you do have a bad hand and it'll be hard to hold onto the sheet with just one hand…"

"C'mon, he's fine!" Gill insisted, "He can do this! So, Sharkbait, what do you think?"

Nemo smiled at everyone. Here it was; his chance at getting out of here. Of getting back home to his dad.

"Let's do it!" he said with a grin, "Can we do it now?"

"No way, Sharkbait," Gill said glancing up at the clock, which read 9:55, "The guards are about to come and bring us back to our rooms. We have to do it when we have the biggest window of opportunity."

"Sherman and his cronies tend to stick to the same schedule every day," Peach stated, "The only times they leave that room are to deliver us to the room, give us our meals, take us back at the end of the day, and when they check to see if we need bathroom breaks at noon and five."

"The only change in their routine is when they head out to bring back another kid," Gurgle continued, "Then, the guards who stay behind actually observe us for the day. But Sherman has a habit of bragging about his future stunts and when he'll do them, so we can always plan accordingly."

"The biggest window we have is from 12:30 to 4:30," Gill stated, "So that's when we'll put this plan in motion. That means you'll be as free as a fish in the sea tomorrow, kid."

Nemo laughed happily at that. Peach let out a whistle, warning of Sherman and the guards coming their way. It was ten o' clock on the dot.

"Hello there, kiddies," Sherman greeted as the door opened, "Time for my merchandise to go beddie-bye."

Gill scoffed at the childish tone Sherman used, only for Peach to elbow him and give him a warning look. But Sherman glared at Gill anyway.

"Might wanna watch your attitude, Reefe," Sherman warned him, "Or else."

Gill glared but stayed quiet. Nemo was somewhat scared, wondering what Sherman meant by "or else". He also wondered if the "or else" had something to do with Gill's missing hand and all of his scars.

"So, did you enjoy the little friendship pact, ginger?" Sherman asked as he smiled at Nemo, who hid himself behind Gill, "I'd love to see what help the little pipsqueak gives you brats."

Sherman turned to go, signaling for the guards to take the kids. As the kids were brought out and lined up, Sherman turned back to them.

"Oh, by the way, you kiddies won't see me until Monday night," he told them, "I've got to catch a plane tonight. I got an order for an adorable little blonde girl from Jersey, no older than eleven."

The older teens looked disgusted while Nemo gulped and felt a pit of dread in his stomach.

"Now, don't look at me like that!" Sherman laughed, "And don't try your little ritual with her either. She's going to be picked up the same day I get back with her. Anyway, goodnight, brats!"

As Sherman and some of his cronies headed off, the kids exchanged worried glances while Nemo's shoulders slumped and his spirits dampened.

It looked like their escape attempt would be delayed for a couple days.

* * *

Done! Phew, this was an unexpectedly long one! Mostly thanks to the explanation of the escape attempt. That's the disadvantage of doing a written version of a movie…having to write down something that can be explained through pictures in less than a minute…Also, since this is a humanization, the escape attempt is going to be a lot more complex. Plus, the little ritual took a bit of explaining to do as well, since I changed things up somewhat...Though you guys have no idea HOW LONG it took me to come up with the escape plan I explain in this story. The escape plan has gone through many changes since this story has started...

Don't anyone worry over the blonde girl Sherman mentioned. That's just someone I'm using to delay the escape attempt and also to really drive home what kind of operation Sherman runs here.

Anyways, next chapter is back to Marlin and Dory. There will also be a couple of mostly filler chapters after that too, just to show bonding between Nemo and the Tank Gang and Marlin and Dory. I may even add in something with Officer Samuel Walker too. I've finally gotten down an idea on his role in this story, so he'll pop up a bit more.

Anyways, I hope you liked it and stay tuned for the next chapter! Please keep reading and reviewing!


	9. Eating Evidence

Here we are again! Back into the story and back to Marlin and Dory! Also, we get some more with Samuel Walker and the chief in this chapter.

I'm sure some of you are a bit confused as to how much time has passed since Nemo's kidnapping. Well, here's the rundown. The kidnapping itself occurred on September 7th, a Friday. Marlin meeting Dory and the interaction with Bruce also happened on September 7th. Nemo meeting the rest of the Tank Gang happened on Saturday, September 8th. Marlin and Dory's conversation in Dory's apartment, the introduction of Samuel Walker and the chief, the search for the missing paper, and the ritual the gang puts Nemo through also happens on September 8th.

That's the timeline for the story so far. The events of this chapter start at around late afternoon, right after Marlin and Dory deciphered the writing on the paper and end a couple hours before the events of the previous chapter.

By the way, I put profiles for Samuel and the chief at the bottom of the page! Check it out! And I changed Samuel's rank. I identified him as an officer before, but now he's a Sergeant. I changed that in his introduction chapter too. By the way, I honestly don't know too much about how police stuff works, so this is just me going off of the little knowledge I have.

Disclaimer: Finding Nemo isn't mine, people.

* * *

Bad luck, that's what it was. Pure and utter bad luck.

How else could Marlin describe the fact that the library he and Dory had gone to in order to find more information on Nemo's whereabouts was closed due to some major renovations?

It was as though some force in the universe was intentionally stalling his chances of finding his son.

"Damn, what do I do now?" Marlin asked himself, putting his face in his hands.

Dory, oblivious to Marlin's growing troubles, was walking along merrily behind him, rambling on about what the message on the paper was, enthusiastic over how well she could remember the words.

"Oh, where are you going, Miss?" Dory asked, pretending to be a stranger asking her a question, "Oh, easy, I'm going to the Capital of Silicon Valley! Got a lot of stuff to do there, you know? Oh, wow, I can still remember the whole thing! 'Remember the building from your previous assignment? That's-'"

"Dory!" Marlin interrupted, spinning around and glaring at her. Dory paused and smiled at Marlin, who took a deep breath before continuing in an even tone, "Listen, I'm glad that you remember what the paper said, but that knowledge is a bit useless without a way of finding out where the Capital of Silicon Valley is!"

"Aw, don't be so worried, Marvin!" Dory exclaimed as she pat his shoulder.

"Marlin…"

"Whatever! We'll figure things out soon! Can we find a place to sleep though? I'm tired…"

Dory yawned loudly at that moment. Suddenly, Marlin heard a low rumble. He glanced this way and that, wondering for one mad second if that demon dog had actually followed him. He then realized that the growling was coming from him…his stomach, to be exact.

"Sounds like someone needs some food," Dory told him, only for her own stomach to rumble, "Me too! Let's find a place to stay and eat."

"We're wasting time, Dory!" Marlin insisted, "My son-"

"C'mon, how are you going to find little Mario without food and sleep?"

Marlin wanted so badly to argue with her, but couldn't. It may be only seven, but he was dead tired from chasing after the paper and running from that crazy mother dog. Not to mention that the day's events kept him from having lunch. The stress of his son's disappearance wasn't helping matters either.

"Fine," Marlin finally relented, "Let's find a motel to stay at for the night. But we're getting up bright and early tomorrow to search for Nemo!"

"Yes, sir!" Dory replied with a salute.

As Marlin and Dory walked down the ever darkening streets, searching for a motel, Marlin prayed that Nemo was still safe. That nothing bad had happened to his little boy since his disappearance yesterday.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the police department…

"Coffee, Sarge?"

Samuel looked up from his notes with bloodshot blue eyes. There were dark circle under his eyes and he couldn't help but yawn every other minute. He had been up since he was first assigned this case the previous day, and he was exhausted.

"Thanks," Samuel said as he gratefully took the Styrofoam cup from the officer's hand. Samuel brushed a few strands of his blond hair out of his eyes, "You guys find anything?"

"Max, Kate, Tim, and I searched every morgue around here," the officer explained, "None of them received a red haired six year old boy."

"Thank God," Samuel muttered, "But make sure to keep in contact with them…"

"Hopefully, we won't have to hear from them," the officer said before heading off.

Samuel let out a deep sigh as he took a sip of the coffee, glancing over at the clock on the wall. It was just past seven, nearly thirty seven hours since Nemo Fischer was kidnapped from the Hall of Science.

Samuel frowned as the forty eight hour mark drew ever closer. Missing person cases operated on the same time frame as murder investigations. If a solid lead wasn't found within the first forty eight hours, the chances of solving the case dropped by half.

Some would argue that the chances dropped even father in cases concerning children, especially ones as young as Nemo.

The MPU was working as hard as they could on the case, with Samuel leading it, trying to juggle Nemo's disappearance along with other missing person cases they had. Just because one boy went missing, that didn't mean everyone else stopped vanishing too.

They were having no luck on the Fischer case. Descriptions of the kidnappers, taken by Greg Ray and other eyewitnesses at the museum, were rather vague, due to the speedy nature of the kidnapping. And white vans were a dime a dozen.

"Sam!" one of the other officers called from her desk, "I'm getting calls from _The New York Times_ and every other damn news station in the city. They want to know about tomorrow's press conference."

"Tell them we'll release details tomorrow," Samuel said, "Until then, we cannot release any information on the case."

Of course the media was starting to hound them. The kidnapping had happened in broad daylight, so it was only a matter of time before it became the top story on the news. But perhaps the media coverage would get Samuel the information he desperately needed.

"Samuel?"

Samuel, running on no sleep and ten cups of black coffee, was about to snap at his latest interrupter, when he realized it was his father. Chief Walker eyed him with slightly concerned grey eyes. Samuel didn't know if it was the immense caffeine or the sleep deprivation, but he had a strong desire to laugh at the light shining off of his father's bald head.

"Sir," he greeted as he stood up, fighting back the laughs.

"How's the Fischer case going?" Chief Walker asked.

"It'd be going better if we could find a lead…Whoever those men were, they were skilled…Too skilled to be first timers."

"How is the monitoring of the phones going?"

"No one's called Mr. Fischer's home concerning the kid yet," Samuel told him, "I get the feeling this isn't a ransom case."

"I don't think the kid is dead either," Chief Walker said, "From the description of the kidnapping, no one would go through that much trouble and just kill the kid."

"Right," Samuel agreed, "I just wish we had something more to go on…"

"Keep at it," Chief Walker said with a pat on Samuel's shoulder, "And try to get some sleep too. You won't be able to work the case if you're dozing off."

"Yes, sir…"

"Press conference is at nine tomorrow, right?" the chief asked.

"On the dot."

"Damn, it would be better if Mr. Fischer was here for the actual conference."

Samuel silently nodded in agreement, but he knew the second he found out the identity of the kidnapped boy that he would not be seeing Marlin anywhere around. That Marlin would just go off and start the search himself.

Samuel and the chief just hoped that Marlin would remember to inform them if he happened to find any clues…

* * *

"One room, please."

Marlin felt warm as the woman behind the front desk of the small motel he found looked at him and then at Dory, who was admiring the tropical fish that were in the tank in the center of the lounge.

He would have purchased two rooms, but the prices at the motel were high and Marlin only had a limited amount of money in his wallet. Who knew if he would need that money in the future?

"Can the room have two beds?" Marlin asked the lady, "Or maybe a couch?"

"Room 201," the woman said as she handed Marlin the key, "It has a couch big enough to sleep on. What's the matter, got into an argument with your wife?"

"Oh, we're not married," Marlin replied, flustered, "She's just…a friend…"

The woman gave Marlin a knowing look.

"Don't worry, sir," she told him, "We're very discreet here…We won't make any mention of it."

Marlin raised an eyebrow at that, confused…Until he suddenly understood what the woman was implying.

"Hey!" he shouted, his face burning, "It's not like that! She's-"

"Hey, Martin, let's go!" Dory whined, "I wanna go to bed! And eat too!"

"It's Marlin!"

"Just call room service and we'll send you dinner," the woman told Dory with a grin, "Enjoy your stay!"

"_Not what you're thinking_!" Marlin hissed at the lady as Dory dragged him off.

The second the pair got to the room, Dory rushed over to the phone and ordered pizza for dinner. She then fell back on the bed, sighing in contentment.

"Man, what a comfy bed!" she exclaimed. Dory then looked over at Marlin, "Hey, when did I buy this bed? …Actually, when did I renovate the apartment?"

"This is a motel, Dory," Marlin said, "Honestly, this memory of yours is-"

Marlin's jaw dropped when he saw what was in the room…A computer…

"Oh, thank God!" he exclaimed as he headed for the desktop, "Now we can finally look up-"

"Computer!" Dory said excitedly, beating Marlin to the device, "Ooh, I know! Let me show you this funny video I saw a couple days ago."

"Dory, not now!" Marlin said, trying to pry her away from the computer, "I have to look up the place mentioned on the paper."

"Hey, no fair!" Dory moaned, "I was here first, so I get first dibs on the computer!"

"This isn't a game, Dory!" Marlin grunted as he finally pulled Dory away, "My son is missing, remember?"

Dory stared at him blankly, making Marlin let out a groan of exasperation.

"'Remember the building from your previous assignment?'" he quoted from the paper.

"Oh right, the capital place!" Dory said with recognition, "Oh, cool, I still remember that whole message."

"Good for you," Marlin muttered as he began to type, "'Capital of Silicon Valley'."

When he pressed enter, Marlin got millions of results, as expected. And all of the top results pointed to the same place.

"You've got to be kidding me…" Marlin murmured, staring at the screen in shock, "They took him all the way _there_?"

"All the way where?" Dory asked before looking at the screen, "Ooh, San Jose! That sounds like a fun place! Are you planning a vacation?"

Marlin ignored Dory's excited chatter about the west coast. San Jose, California…That was where those men had taken Nemo. How on earth was he going to get all the way to California as quickly as possible? He would have a hell of a time trying to book a last minute plane ticket…Perhaps through a series of buses and trains?

No matter…All Marlin knew was that he absolutely needed to find a way to San Jose.

"Looks like that's where I'm heading," he said to himself while Dory went on and on about California, "Computer's all yours, Dory."

"I don't want it anymore," she said as she laid back on the bed, "Too tired…"

"What about the pizza?"

"Tired…"

Marlin shook his head at Dory's childish attitude. While he wasn't too sure on how he was going to get to California, there was one thing Marlin did know.

He had to send Dory home tomorrow…Or else she would become a liability.

Perhaps he should call a cab for her. After all, if he left Dory to get home all on her own, she would probably forget where she lived. And Marlin was certain that the police didn't want to deal with yet another missing person case.

"Oh! That reminds me…"

* * *

Samuel had his eyes fixed on the eyewitness statements he had collected the day before. He had ordered the other officers not to bother him unless it was for a break in the case.

He wasn't sure what it was, but there was something about the Fischer case that was bugging him. He was going over the notes, trying to see if any of the words would jog his memory, but he was having no such luck so far.

What was it? What was it about this case that was so familiar to him?

"Sam?"

"If it's not about the Fischer boy…" Samuel growled.

"It's Mr. Fischer on line 2."

Samuel blinked in surprise before picking up the phone.

"Marlin?" he began questioningly.

"Hey, Sam," a tired voice answered from the other end of the line.

"Not that I don't like hearing from you," Samuel said, "But I'm kind of trying to find that boy of yours."

"So am I," Marlin told him, "And I've got a lead."

If Samuel had been drinking something at that moment, he would have probably spit it out.

"Seriously?" Samuel asked in shock, "What is it?"

"I found out where those kidnappers took Nemo…They're in San Jose."

"California?"

"Do you know another San Jose?"

Samuel stayed quiet for a moment, processing this information.

"Marlin, how did you find out where they took Nemo? I've been on the case for nearly forty hours and I haven't gotten a single lead."

"One of the kidnappers dropped a piece of paper, Sam," Marlin explained, "It was in Russian, but I had a…_friend_…translate it for me. It said, 'Remember that building from your previous assignment? We'll be staying there from now on. The Capital of Silicon Valley'."

Samuel let out a low whistle.

"Forget pharmacy, you should've joined the force," Samuel said, impressed, "I mean, a note? That's great! We might be able to get some decent prints off of it, so long as you and that friend of yours didn't handle it too much. Come down to the station and drop it off so that we can verify things."

Samuel furrowed his brow when he heard Marlin's nervous laugh.

"Yeah, um…Funny story, about that note…"

"Marlin, are you about to say something that'll make me want to kill you?"

"Maybe…"

* * *

Chief Walker let out a tired sigh as he came back into the station. It was nine o' clock. He had spent the past hour on a car chase through nearly all of Bellerose. He had finally caught the runner a few minutes earlier and his fellow officers were taking care of booking the perp. The chief headed to his desk in order to make final preparations for the speech he was going to give at tomorrow's press conference concerning Nemo Fischer's kidnapping.

The chief, and the rest of the officers, all jumped and stared in the direction of the MPU office at a sudden loud yell.

"_WHAT DO YOU MEAN A DOG ATE THE EVIDENCE_?"

* * *

Done! Sorry, that this chapter is on the shorter side. I felt that we needed a bit of a break after the previous events. Yeah, this chapter is mostly filler, but it's still important. Poor Samuel…A key piece of evidence, eaten by a dog…I think we'll continue on with Marlin, Dory, and Samuel in the next chapter, maybe adding in a bit more from the movie too.

So, what is Samuel remembering? You'll find out soon enough! Anyways, here are Sam's and the chief's profiles.

**Samuel Walker: Age: **28; **Height: **5'11; **Occupation: **Police Sergeant in the Missing Persons Unit; **Family: **Arvin Walker (dad), Eliza Walker (mom), Arvin Walker Jr. (brother), Thomas Walker (brother), Jenny Walker (wife), Katelyn Walker (niece), Cody Walker (son); **Fun Fact: **He and Marlin have been best friends since high school. It was Marlin who actually convinced Samuel to join the MPU specifically, since Samuel was always someone who got very into missing persons cases that were shown on the news.

**Arvin Walker: Age: **60; **Height: **6'2; **Occupation: **Police Chief; **Family: **Eliza Walker (wife), Arvin Walker Jr. (son), Samuel Walker (son), Thomas Walker (son), Jenny Walker (daughter-in-law), Katelyn Walker (granddaughter), Cody Walker (grandson); **Fun Fact: **He tried very hard to deter his sons from joining the police force, due to his fear that his sons may get killed on the job. However, his oldest went on to become a homicide detective, Samuel is working in the MPU, and his youngest is a year away from graduating from the academy…and he's proud of all three of them.

That's all! Please keep reading and reviewing!


	10. Penn Station

Hi, guys! Sorry for being so late with the update. I got distracted by things. Also, I don't own my own copy of Finding Nemo; I borrow the DVD from the library. My library doesn't have many copies of the movie, so sometimes I have to wait for a copy to become available. But, anyways, here we are again! So let's get right into it!

Also, I borrowed a bit from Ronnie343's story later in this chapter.

Disclaimer: As I have stated numerous times before, I do not own Finding Nemo.

* * *

Samuel was fuming, paying no attention to his fellow officers, who were staring at him with wide eyes, or his father, who had opened the door of the MPU office and was peering in cautiously.

"Marlin, tell me you're joking," he growled into the phone, "A _dog_ ate the _only bit of evidence_ related to this case?"

"You weren't there, Sam!" Marlin said, "That mother dog was a demon, I would've died if I didn't give it the paper back."

Samuel glanced down at his desk, a strong desire to start slamming his head against it building up within him. Instead, he took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger.

"But, c'mon, Sam," Marlin continued, "I told you what the paper said. So, you can send someone off to San Jose or call the police department there and find Nemo, right?"

"Marlin, you don't have a clue how the police work, do you?" Samuel asked, "This isn't like some stupid cop drama on TV, this is real life. I can't just send cops on a search around San Jose based on your words alone."

"But you believe me, don't you?"

"This has nothing to do with trust, Marlin!" Samuel nearly shouted, "I believe you, I really do. But that won't get us anywhere. I can't call up the San Jose PD and tell them to comb the city because my best friend told me his son is there. I need evidence to back up your claim, otherwise we can't do anything!"

"So, what, you're not going to send anyone to search for my son?" Marlin asked coldly.

"I'm not saying that, Marlin," Samuel sighed, "The most I can do is call up the San Jose PD and tell them to keep an eye out for a boy matching Nemo's description. Without any hard evidence or any really solid reason though, they're not going to do an active search. Stuff like that costs a lot of money, you know."

Samuel heard Marlin let out a long breath, the sound of a parent who was rapidly losing hope. Samuel could only imagine what Marlin was feeling at the moment, thinking of his own infant son back home. If it had been his Cody who had been kidnapped, Samuel would probably be acting just like Marlin…

But, unfortunately, real life wasn't like what they showed on those late night dramas…

"Marlin, listen," Samuel started in a reassuring tone, "I know you're going to go off to San Jose. And let me tell you, me and the rest of my team are going to do our damnedest to get as much evidence as quickly as possible."

"…I know…" Marlin said slowly.

"Bud, I swear, you'll be seeing me in San Jose soon enough," Samuel promised.

"…I'm counting on you, Sam…"

"I won't let you down, Marlin."

As Samuel hung up the phone, he hoped that he hadn't made a promise that he wouldn't be able to keep. With that in mind, he gave the other officer who had been regarding him warily a look.

"Don't you guys have cases to crack?" he asked them, which sent them back to work.

Samuel looked towards the door, where Chief Walker was. The chief gave Samuel a nod before slowly shutting the door.

* * *

Marlin sat down on the edge of the bed, putting his face in his hands.

So he would have to continue on this search for who knew how long without police help. He didn't hate Samuel for that, not at all. He knew that the police worked differently from what everyone believed based on television and common misconceptions.

"Hey, what's the capital of Kalamazoo?"

Marlin raised his head and glanced at Dory, who was fast asleep on the bed, mumbling random phrases.

"She didn't even stay up for the pizza," Marlin said, smiling just a bit, looking over at the unopened pizza, which had been delivered during Marlin's phone call, on the table.

The clock on the nightstand showed Marlin that it was approaching ten.

"Nemo, please be okay…" Marlin murmured before getting off the bed and heading towards the couch.

* * *

"I'm going off to the Capital of Silicon Valley, where are you heading? Oh, don't mind me, heading off to the Capital of Silicon Valley, that's all!"

Marlin felt his eye twitch as he walked down street after street, Dory trailing behind him and happily talking to herself about her amazing recollection of what the note had said.

It was eight in the morning…Marlin had been listening to her go on and on since they left the small inn at half past six…

"Dory, do you mind?" Marlin asked as he looked at the street sign, "I'm trying to find Penn Station."

Marlin had decided as soon as he woke up that he would have to reach San Jose by train, somehow. He had planned on calling a cab to drop Dory off at her house, but Dory had gotten herself ready and dragged Marlin out of the inn before he could even begin dialing the number.

After a few more minutes of searching and hearing Dory's endless chatter, Marlin finally located Penn Station…

…Only to realize, he had no idea what to do next.

Marlin was never one to take the train, even when he was young. And, after Coral's death, Marlin never went anywhere far enough that required a train. So, he didn't know which train to take. Which one would get him to San Jose fast enough?

He took a seat on a nearby bench, trying to figure out his next step. Dory plopped down next to him, happily chattering away.

All around Marlin and Dory were people rushing this way and that, heading for their next train or leaving the station to find out where to go. Here and there were some street performers, trying to make some money with their talents. Musicians, artists, break dancers, and even, to Marlin's surprise, a small group who seemed to be performing charades…

"I'll tell you where I'm going," Dory's voice jarred Marlin out of his thoughts, "Why do I have to say it over and over? I'm heading to the Capital of-"

"Okay, alright, Dory?" Marlin interrupted, unable to take it any longer.

"Huh?" she responded, turning to him with a grin.

"Here's the thing…"

"Uh huh!"

"Well," Marlin went on, a little uneasily, "I just…I think it might be best if…if I carry on from here…on my own."

"Gotcha!" Dory replied with a nod.

"Alone," Marlin continued, realizing Dory didn't understand.

"Uh huh," Dory responded.

"Without-Well, I mean, not without _you_," Marlin told her, becoming more nervous by the moment and finding it difficult to meet Dory's gaze, "It's just, I don't want you…with me."

Marlin made a mental note to hit himself later for that last line. However, as he looked at Dory's face, he realized his words had gotten through to her.

Dory's smile slowly faded, her eyebrows furrowed just a bit. Marlin could see some of the light in her eyes diminish as the full impact of Marlin's words hit her.

"Huh?" she said softly.

"Listen, I don't want to hurt your feelings," Marlin told her sincerely.

He didn't, he really didn't. After all, despite how childishly Dory acted, Marlin wouldn't know where to go on from this point if it wasn't for her help.

"You want me to _leave_?" Dory asked, her voice coated with the slightest hint of betrayal, making Marlin feel even worse than before.

"Well, I mean…" Marlin stammered, "I mean, not-Yes, yeah. You know, time's really critical to me and I just can't afford any more delays. And you're one of those people who cause delays."

Marlin could see that he wasn't making the situation any better, but he kept on rambling on. He didn't know why he was finding it so hard to talk to Dory. Though, it was to be expected, in a way. Ever since Nemo's birth, he lost a lot of his ability to carry on a regular conversation with others.

Why, though?

"Sometimes, people who cause delays are a good thing!" Marlin insisted, even as Dory's lower lip started to quiver, "There's a whole group of people…Delay people…"

"Y-you mean…" Dory began shakily as she stood up from the bench, her body trembling and tears beginning to pool in her eyes, "Y-you mean, you d-don't l-like me?"

Marlin flinched as the tears spilled from Dory's eyes. She put her hands over her face and turned her back on Marlin as she started to cry. Marlin scrambled to stop her tears.

"No, of course, I like you!" he said as he stood up and moved in front of her. He put his hands on her arms gently, but Dory kept her face covered, "It's because I like you that I don't want to be with you! It's a…complicated…emotion…"

Marlin trailed off pathetically, realizing he had just made the situation worse as Dory cried even louder than before. He saw that other passersby were staring at the two of them questioningly, whispering amongst themselves.

"Don't cry, Dory," Marlin went on softly, "I really do like you."

"Hey, you!"

Marlin and Dory both turned in the direction of this angry voice. There, standing just a couple feet away from them, was that charades group that Marlin had seen earlier. The four men were glaring at Marlin in a way that made him want to disappear as fast as a group of swimmers when they see a shark in the water.

"Lady, is this guy bothering you?" the leader of the group asked Dory gently as the other men continued to stare at Marlin angrily.

"Um…I don't remember," Dory sniffed, wiping away the few stray tears spilling form her eyes. She looked down at Marlin, "Were you?"

"No, no, no, no, no," Marlin said swiftly, trying to defuse the tension, "We're just-Hey, do you guys know how I can-?"

"Look, pal, we're talkin' to the lovely lady, not you," the group leader snapped at Marlin. The four men pushed Marlin off to the side and surrounded Dory, kind looks on their faces, "Hey, you like impressions, Miss?"

Dory nodded, which led to the men standing side by side just a foot in front of her. Marlin sat back down on the bench, his arms crossed before him and a frown on his face.

"Okay, just like in rehearsals, gentlemen," the leader told his friends, "Nice and easy ones…"

The men got into two pairs and began waltzing silently. Dory giggled a bit as she watched them dance together.

"Alright, Miss, what's happening here?" the leader asked Dory.

"Oh, I know this!" Dory exclaimed, clapping her hands excitedly, "I know this, it's…uh…It's definitely…"

"We do things like this in ballrooms…" the group leader said in an encouraging tone.

"Wait, it's…um…"

"It's dancing!" Marlin growled from the bench.

The men stopped their dance and grumbled at Marlin.

"Hey, ginger, let the lady guess!" the group leader told him.

The four men then went down on their hands and knees and started to act, obviously, like dogs. Marlin couldn't help but grimace, still remembering the mother dog and puppy from the day before.

"Man's best friend," the leader told Dory as a hint.

"Oh, it's on the tip of my tongue!" Dory said, a look of concentration on her face.

"Dog!" Marlin coughed.

"Saw that," the leader stated as the men got back to their feet.

"What?" Marlin asked with a shrug.

The four men then started to quickly but carefully form a pyramid.

"Tall and triangular; found in Egypt," the leader said as he got to the top of the pyramid.

"Eiffel Tower!" Dory exclaimed.

"Close enough!" the leader laughed good-naturedly.

The men then started marching around, pretending to be part of a band. Dory laughed and applauded, all of the sadness Marlin's words had caused vanishing.

"Oh, they're good," Dory said as she nudged Marlin, who shot up off the bench angrily.

"_Will somebody please give me directions_?" he asked loudly, his fists clenched beside him.

The four men crossed their arms and smirked at Marlin. The leader put on an exaggerated angry expression.

"'Will somebody please give me directions'?" he mocked.

Dory chuckled at the impression while Marlin narrowed his eyes at the charades group.

"I'm serious," he spat out.

"Blah, blah, blah," the leader continued to taunt him, "Me, me, blah! Blah, blah, blah, blah, me, me, me!"

Marlin stared at the laughing men and then looked at a giggling Dory. He put on a neutral expression.

"Thank you," he said simply as he turned and headed off towards the station.

"Oh, dear," Dory murmured before going off after Marlin, "Hey, come back!"

Dory sped up and managed to cut Marlin off. Marlin tried to go around Dory, but she quickly moved to jump in front of him, causing him to pause and look at her expectantly.

"What?" he asked sourly.

"Hey, what's the matter?" she inquired gently, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"What's the matter?" Marlin repeated exasperatedly.

As Marlin started to rant, he didn't notice that the four men were continuing to mock him from where they stood several feet away. Dory let out a smirk at them but focused her attention back on Marlin.

"What's the matter is that I am miles away from home and I am stuck with a woman who could probably forget her own name in a snap!" he shouted.

"Well, I bet that's frustrating," Dory replied, nodding while oblivious to the fact that she is the woman in question.

"Yeah, it is…" Marlin said as he gave her a look, "Meanwhile, my son is out there…"

"Your son, Chico?" Dory asked.

"Nemo," Marlin muttered.

"Right, got it," Dory said.

"But, you know what?" Marlin went on as he walked around Dory and started to storm off, "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter that I'm worried about my son, about his safety. It doesn't matter that I might never see him again because _no person in this entire freakin' city is going to help me_!"

As Marlin marched off, it was silent for just a second…And then…

"Well, I'm helping you."

Marlin paused, his fists becoming unclenched and the tension on his face slowly fading. He gradually looked over his shoulder at Dory, who was giving him a soft smile.

"Wait right there," she told him as she walked back to the charades group.

"Hey, guys!" Dory called to the four men.

"What, is he bothering you again, Miss?" the leader asked her.

"Oh no, he's a good guy," Dory reassured them, "Go easy on him, okay? He's lost his son, Fabio."

Marlin could see a change, a slight softening, in the men's expressions when they looked at him after Dory had said that.

"Any of you guys know the quickest route to the Capital of Silicon Valley?" Dory asked them.

"San Jose, right?" the leader said, "Ted here's got relatives in San Jose."

"Sure do," the one named Ted piped up.

"Hey, they know San Jose!" Dory yelled in Marlin's direction.

"They do?" Marlin muttered to himself before racing over to the group.

"You guys wouldn't know how to get there, would you?" Dory asked them while Marlin looked at them hopefully.

"Getting there directly, not too sure," the leader said, "But there a Lake Shore Limited, Train 49, leaving here in about an hour. That'll take you to Chicago in around nineteen hours. Then, from the Chicago Union Station, you take a Texas Eagle, Train 21, and you'll be on that baby for…I don't know, what'd you guys say, another nineteen?"

The other three men all agreed.

"Yeah, around nineteen hours, and that'll drop you off in Longview, Texas," the leader continued, "You'll have to figure out how to go on from there on your own, but it shouldn't take too long to get to San Jose from there. Now both of those routes have a bunch of stops along the way, so don't get off at the wrong one, alright?"

"Great!" Marlin yelled ecstatically, "That's great! That gets us even closer! Dory, you did it!"

Marlin could help but give Dory a one-armed hug as he laughed. Dory turned red, rather pleased with herself for helping Marlin out, and giggled.

"Oh, please!" she said humbly as she played around with her fingers, "I'm just your little helper. Helpin' along, that's me! …Does this mean I don't have to leave?"

Marlin looked at Dory's hopeful expression before letting out a sigh as he headed towards the station.

"Let's get going, partner," he told her with a grin.

Dory let out an excited squeal before running off after him.

"Hey, fellas, thank you!" Marlin shouted to the charades group.

"Don't mention it!" the leader replied, all ill will between the group and Marlin gone, "Just, uh, loosen up, okay, buddy?"

"Oh, you guys," Dory laughed, pausing while Marlin went on, "You really nailed him."

Dory turned to keep going but the leader of the group ran up and grabbed her arm.

"Ma'am, one more thing," he began, "In Longview, when you're exiting the station, there are two ways to go. There's a dark street that looks pretty shady, but that's the path to go, alright? The other way has been under some major renovation for the past few weeks. Could be pretty dangerous."

"Go down the scary looking path, got it!" Dory told herself, "I'll remember!"

"Dory, c'mon!" Marlin yelled to her from several feet away.

"Coming!" she shouted in return as she ran off to join Marlin.

Go down the scary looking path…That sounded simple enough! All she had to do was remember.

* * *

Done! Once again, sorry it took so long to get this chapter out.

I had to look up some train routes to get this chapter right. I couldn't find any direct paths from New York to San Jose. I directed the pair of them to Texas so that I can set up the next part of the story. There's a few more filler chapters ahead. Next chapter, we'll be back with Nemo and the gang. We'll get to learn a little more about the older kids. I might even throw in a little more with Samuel and the MPU.

Once again, I don't pretend to know much about how the police work. I'm only guessing based on how I believe they work that this is what they would do. Hopefully, it's accurate enough.

Until next chapter, please read and review!


	11. Why We're Here

Hello, everyone! I'm certain several are you are mad at the unexpected several months long absence I took from this story. I apologize for that…College became absolute hell during those several months…I managed to write a one-shot for Rise of the Guardians during my absence from the story, so it's not like I completely vanished or anything! I put a better explanation in chapter one of the Pokémon story I started.

But, here we are again! I am ready to get back into action. I'm not sure when I'll get this story finished by now. I would like to get it done before my summer vacation is over…We'll see! So, here's a mostly filler but slightly canon chapter. We're back with Nemo and the Tank Gang. Shall we learn more about them? Also, I added a tiny bit with Samuel near the end, to show that he's working hard on his part of this case. Yes, I know that this goes a bit out of order with the film, but it works just fine, I believe!

Once again, Ronnie343's story gave me heavy influence for this chapter. And, for those who are curious as to the date in the story, it is now Sunday, September 9th. Alright, let's jump right on in!

Disclaimer: Finding Nemo isn't mine to own.

* * *

Nemo sat quietly in a corner of the playroom, playing absentmindedly with the stuffed shark toy that he had grown incredibly fond of over the past couple days. His stomach rumbled, but lunch wasn't going to be served for another two hours.

With Sherman having left the night before to go and pick up the "new merchandise", the five guards who stayed behind were acting as Gurgle said they would. The five set up a table just outside of the playroom and were playing poker as they kept a close eye on the kids.

Because of this constant supervision, the kids couldn't act on their escape plan. At least they could talk about it, since the men only understood Russian, but they had finished discussing the plan last night. So all they could do now was wait for Sherman to come back on Monday.

Nemo glanced up to see what the others were up to. Peach and Deb were having a conversation as they sat on the beanbags. Bubbles was playing with the toy treasure chest, as usual. Bloat, Gurgle, and Jacques were watching a baseball game on the TV. Gill was leaning back on the couch, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

As though he felt Nemo's gaze, Gill turned his head towards the boy. Nemo quickly lowered his own head and resumed playing with the shark. It seemed like he didn't turn his gaze fast enough, because he heard footsteps coming towards him.

"Yo," Gill greeted.

"Hi," Nemo answered shyly, glancing up just a bit.

Gill smirked a little at the boy before taking off his blazer and putting it on the ground before sitting atop it, next to him. He didn't say anything to Nemo, and Nemo couldn't think of anything to tell him, so they sat in a not so awkward silence.

"You miss your dad, don't you, Sharkbait?" Gill asked softly after a few moments.

Nemo frowned as he hugged the shark toy close to his chest.

"…Yeah," he murmured.

"Hey," Gill said, waiting for Nemo to look at him before continuing on, "You're pretty lucky to have someone out there who's looking for you."

"He's not looking for me," Nemo disagreed sadly, "He's scared of the world."

"Is that right?"

"…My mom died when I was born," Nemo explained in a small voice, "Ever since then, he's kept me by his side all the time. He panics over tiny things. He didn't even let me go to a real school until a few days ago, because he thought bad things would happen."

"Well then, maybe he really _is_ out there searching for you," Gill said, "After all, he sounds like he loves you, kid."

Nemo's shoulders drooped at that as he remembered what he had said at the Hall of Science.

"I told him I hated him," Nemo confessed, "He thought I was going to climb this jungle gym thing that looked scary. I got mad and climbed it anyway. That's why I'm here in the first place…I wouldn't blame him if he wasn't looking for me…"

To Nemo's surprise, Gill simply scoffed at that.

"Sharkbait, I know a thing or two about good parents," he told the redhead, "It takes a lot more, way, way, _way_ more, than saying 'I hate you' to get them to stop caring."

Nemo wasn't so sure that he believed Gill's words. The silence came back between the two of them as they observed the others.

Suddenly, the sound of car's engine came from outside. Nemo was certain he recognized the noise. As he wondered about it, one of the guards, who looked rather angry, left the table. The kids all got up and peered out the window to see what was happening.

There was the sound of arguing outside before a man burst through the door.

"Nigel!" Bloat exclaimed.

Nigel made his way over to the playroom, a smile on his face and the angry guard right behind him and still yelling in Russian. Nigel looked as shabby as ever.

"Ah, shut up, man!" Nigel snapped at the guard, "Can't understand a word you're saying anyways!"

The guard growled but backed off, returning to his game with the other guards, all of whom sent dirty looks at Nigel.

"Well, if it isn't the little New Yorker?" Nigel grinned as leaned against the glass window of the playroom so that the kids could hear him, "Glad to see that you're still here, though I guess you'd still rather be home, huh?"

"Sherman's giving him to Darla, Nigel," Deb whispered as Nemo nodded.

Nigel's eyes narrowed, a cold expression on his face at Deb's words.

"Shi…shoot," he hissed, though Nemo thought Nigel was going to say something else. Nigel looked at Gill seriously, "Kid, now's a pretty good time to have an escape plan that works."

"We've taken care of it, Nigel," Gill assured him.

"I hope so. Because now you've got a little one involved. And you do not want Darla getting him."

"I know."

With that, Nigel went over to talk to Peach, who was still sitting on her beanbag. Nemo stared at them from where he was seated beside Gill. They looked very happy speaking together, almost like a parent and child.

Nemo glanced over at Gill, who was also looking at Nigel and Peach with a grin. Nemo couldn't help it when his eyes wandered over Gill's horrifically scarred arm and the stump where his hand used to be. He didn't notice that Gill had been watching him until he looked up again. Embarrassed, Nemo quickly turned away.

"Got all of this during escape attempt number one," Gill told the curious boy as he gesture to his arm and the scar on his face, "That was back when I was on my own…"

Nemo stared at the teen in awe, amazed that he would keep trying to escape after his first attempt had ended so badly. Thinking about that got Nemo wondering about certain things, things he wasn't sure he was allowed to ask, even if he was a part of the "club" now.

"Gill?" Nemo began, thinking there was no harm in trying, "Um…Why are-? …How come all of you are still here? I mean, I thought you said Sherman only gets little kids."

Gill took a deep breath at that as he looked over to where the other kids were.

"Because we're troublemakers," Gill answered.

"Sherman got all of us when we were at young ages," Gill continued upon seeing Nemo's puzzled expression. He paused for a second, momentarily debating if he should tell someone as young as Nemo about this before speaking on, "For example, there's Jacques."

The pair looked over who was absentmindedly polishing his shoe.

"His real name is Enjolras Lestrange. Ha, that's the first time I ever got it right. His folks were Les Misérables fans, I guess," Gill saw that Nemo was confused, "Right, I'm rambling. Anyways, he came here five years ago, when he was eight. He and his dad immigrated to New York from France. His dad wanted a better life for his son. But Sherman and his men happened to be near when they arrived, and Jacques fit the description of what a client wanted. Jacques' dad tried to fight them off and they got a bit too violent…"

Gill trailed off, but Nemo realized what he was suggesting happened. The teenager pointed over to Deb, who was speaking to her mirror as usual.

"Deb Spiegel. She came here when she was ten. She came from a nice looking home in a good neighborhood. But looking nice meant nothing the night that place went up in flames. Her house burned down to the ground in a couple hours. Deb had managed to escape. She was standing off from the crowd, watching her home vanish before her, when Sherman spotted her. Poor girl was too out of it to resist or cry for help."

"H-how come she talks to her mirror?" Nemo asked, feeling horrified about the story.

"Deb had a twin sister named Flo," Gill explained, "Apparently they were as close as could be. They did almost everything together…I don't know the exact details but Flo couldn't escape that fire. Deb couldn't handle the stress of losing her precious twin along with her parents in one night. So she just made herself believe Flo was still around."

"Gurgle's real name is Henry Hammond. He came here when he was eleven. He came from a family in a pretty poor neighborhood that didn't understand him, didn't want to understand him either. They couldn't stand how 'obsessed' he was with cleanliness. They yelled at him a lot to relieve stress from living in bad conditions. One day, Gurgle couldn't take it anymore…He ran away from home. A few days later, Sherman's men got him."

"Then, there's Bubbles, or Aaron Millais. Sherman brought him here when the kid was nine. He and his family loved to go boating. One time they went, their boat broke down in the middle of the ocean. His mom blew bubbles in order to entertain him and his sisters while his dad called in for help. They didn't realize that there was a huge storm coming…The boat capsized and…Bubbles was the only one the rescuers found…I'm still not sure how Sherman snatched Bubbles away from the authorities."

"As for Bloat, his name is Steven Puffer. His last name got him bullied a lot as a kid, since he was always on the bigger side. He came here when he was ten. He lived with his grandparents after his folks died in a car accident. Bloat never wanted to tell them how much he was being bullied at school, if not for his weight then for his asthma. One day, the bullying became too much and Bloat ran into the nearby park to cry. It was at a time when there weren't that many people there, certainly no one near him. That made it easy for him to be kidnapped."

"And Peach?" Nemo asked after a moment, still digesting the stories of the other kids.

Gill frowned as he looked at Peach, trying to decide how best to describe her tale.

"Coretta Starling," he started slowly, "She came here when she was ten. Peach's parents weren't very good, kid. They associated with some pretty bad people."

"Gangsters?" Nemo suggested.

"More or less. Her parents weren't ever kind to her, didn't care one bit about her. Some parents are like that. Peach had to take care of herself for the most part and tried to avoid getting her folks angry at her. I think that's where she got her muttering from. Anyways, her parents got into some deep trouble with the local 'gangsters' and ran. I don't know if it was on purpose or if they forgot, but Peach was left behind. Sherman found her a couple days later."

Nemo stared at Peach in shock. She was so kind and warm during the time he had been with the others. It was like having an older sister. Nemo couldn't understand how someone who went through so much could end up so nice.

"Well, it's not like she only had bad influences, Sharkbait," Gill answered when Nemo asked him such. He pointed at Nigel, "You see, Nigel is Peach's uncle."

If they weren't talking about such serious matters, Gill would've laughed at the flabbergasted expression on Nemo's face.

"I know, I was shocked too when she told me! Nigel was the only family Peach had who actually cared for her. She couldn't see him often, since he lived here in San Jose, but he made the effort to visit as often as possible. When he learned that Peach had been taken, Nigel looked everywhere he could for her. By some miracle, Sherman set up a base in the neighborhood Nigel lived in."

"But how come Nigel isn't telling anyone about this?" Nemo wondered, "Can't he talk to the police?"

"That's where things are a little tricky, kid. Thanks to certain 'dealings' Nigel's no stranger to the police. And people aren't quick to believe the word of someone with a record. Plus, Sherman's got enough money to keep the local police department eating out of the palm of his hand."

"Does that mean Nigel is a bad guy?"

"Depends on how you choose to see it," Gill said simply, "If we just look at his record, then you could say he's bad. But he worked hard to look for Peach when her own parents didn't care. He loves her like she was his own daughter. And he's the reason Peach has dealt with Sherman's clients the least out of us."

"You see," Gill went on, "Nigel made a deal with Sherman. So long as Nigel can pay Sherman a certain amount each week, Sherman will let Nigel see Peach and she won't be forced to do anything. Nigel's been keeping that promise for years now, one way or the other."

Gill looked around at the others, at the people he had grown to know and care about over the years.

"We gave each other nicknames as a way to forget the past and connect," he said, "Deb didn't get one since that will only confuse her more. All of us have seen just what kind of business Sherman runs. But thanks to how troublesome we are, from my attitude to Gurgle's love of cleanliness, the clients always returned us soon enough. Everyone else the Sherman has brought is usually gone forever in a couple weeks at most. The only reason he's kept us around for years, the only reason he doesn't 'get rid of us', is to avoid getting the authorities' attention."

Nemo was silent as he took all of this in, hugging his knees close to his chest.

"I know it sounds complicated," Gill told him.

"I think I understand," Nemo replied, his shoulders drooping, "Everyone else went through bad stuff. But I'm complaining about nothing."

"Sharkbait, I didn't tell you this to make you feel bad. I just want you to understand. Trust me, your dad's looking for you. And we'll get you out of here so you can get back to him."

Nemo nodded slowly. He still wasn't sure if his dad was actually looking for him. The guy seemed so scared of everything.

"Hey, Nemo!" Bloat called, "If you want to watch some cartoons with us, come over."

Nemo glanced at Gill, who motioned with his hand for him to go on. Nemo stood up and was about to walk off, when he turned back to Gill.

"Hey, Gill? You never told me your story…"

A pained expression came across Gill's face when Nemo said that. Nemo realized he might have brought up something bad.

"Sorry!" he said quickly, "I didn't mean to-"

"No, i-it's fine," Gill stuttered, "After all, I mentioned everyone else's story, so I should-"

"Don't," Nemo interrupted, "I don't want you telling me if you don't want to."

Before Gill could respond, Nemo ran over to the television to watch cartoons with the others. Gill stared after the kid in surprise before a smile formed on his face.

"What a guy…" he chuckled.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in New York…

"Sam, what're you doing?"

Chief Walker was a bit confused when he saw his son enter the room where they kept files on cold cases, but he dismissed it. However, when he didn't see Samuel come out after an hour, Chief Walker couldn't help but peek in.

Samuel was sitting on the floor, surrounded by large stacks of cold case files. He would take a file and read through it and then put it in another pile before grabbing another file.

"Sam?" Chief Walker called out again.

"I know something about the Fischer case is way too familiar to me," Samuel stated as he grabbed another case file, "I feel like there was a case like this a few years back but I'm not sure…"

There was indeed something familiar about Nemo's case to Samuel…But what was it?

* * *

And we're done! Once again, sorry for the huge delay in getting this chapter to you.

So, we've gotten some answers as to most of the kids' backstories. Now do you understand why I put most of the kids' names in quotation marks in the bottom notes of the chapter they were introduced in? But now we've gotten more questions as well. What is Gill's backstory? And what is it that Samuel Walker is remembering? Will he find the answer in the cold case files?

Well, please read and review everyone! Thank you for waiting so long!


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